Tuesday 23 / April / 2024
Muscat: Family members of the two missing Omanis who were rescued off the coast of Pakistan after being lost for 10 days at sea can now breathe a sigh of relief after going through what they call the hardest period of their lives.
21-year-old Salim Al Jaafari and 29-year-old Ali Al Jaafari were rescued by Pakistani naval vessels on 19 June, after a fishing boat had spotted them a day earlier. Asked to assist by Oman, the Pakistan government did try to find their location by tracking the signal of the satellite phone lent to Salim by one of the Pakistani fishermen so that he could call his brother Mohammed back home and inform them about their situation.
The number was shared with the Pakistani authorities by their Omani counterparts, but rough weather over the Arabian Sea meant they lost the signal before it could be traced, said Dr Mohammed Omar Al Marhoun, the ambassador of Oman to Pakistan.
“When I was told they had been found, my first thought was ‘I can’t believe what I’m hearing’”, said Hamad Al Jaafari, a cousin of the two men, who are from Al Ashkarah in Wilayat Jalan Bani Bu Ali in South Sharqiyah.
“We are so eager to see and embrace them, we have been through the hardest period of our lives over these last 10 days, which have been filled with anxiety and fear… and hope,” he added. “I cannot describe to you what our psychological state was like during this time.”
Salim also contacted his family once he and Ali arrived safely in Karachi, where the Consulate General of Oman confirmed they had arrived. “The Consulate General in Karachi received the Omanis Salim Al Jaafari and Ali Al Jaafari, who were missing at sea, from the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, and thanked them for the cooperation and efforts made by them,” said Oman’s Consulate in a statement.
In coordination with a doctor of the agency, consular officials conducted medical examinations to ascertain the health status of the missing Omani fishermen. The two men are in good health.
“I advise fishermen to take all precautions and listen to the weather forecast before heading out to sea,” said Dr Mohammed Omar Al Marhoun, ambassador of Oman to Pakistan. “I also want to thank the Pakistani authorities and Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency for their assistance.”
Adding to this, Mohammed Imran Ali Chaudhry, the ambassador of Pakistan to Oman, said: “To survive an extended time out at sea is no easy matter, and thanks to god that these men were well, even after facing the rigours of the open water for so long,” he said, before explaining how navies prepare for and stay alert during search and rescue missions.
“While some of the joint naval exercises that we carry out with other countries are directed towards warfare, the main objective of these drills is to help navies detect smaller craft and assist people, by preventing activities such as smuggling, and rapidly responding to distress calls.”
