Muscat: Said Al Gamboosi, the Omani fisherman in Jalan, who rescued the 11 Indian sailors from a sinking vessel in Omani waters, has shown that Omanis are always kind to anyone who needs help.
Now, Salah Al Zarahi, his son Nasser Al Zarahi and two other Omanis from the same village, have proven this again as both father and son have been providing the stranded Indian sailors with accommodation and food, free of charge since last Saturday.
“We came to know from our Indian friends that the rescued Indian sailors need a place to stay until their papers are processed and they can fly back to India. As Jalan is a small town, there are no accommodation facilities. So, we thought of sharing ours,” Salah and Nasser said. “Providing shelter for a stranded person is not a big deal. Whoever believes in the Almighty will do it. It is our duty to help the needy,” Salah added.
Salah and his family are also providing food to the Indian sailors from day one.
The Indian sailors were rescued from the sinking vessel on Saturday morning by Al Gamboosi and his friends while they had gone to sea for fishing. It took around five hours for Al Gamboosi and his friends to bring back the Indian sailors to shore from the sea.
Responding to the Times of Oman’s story on Al Gamboosi’s bravery, Indra Mani Pandey, the Indian ambassador to Oman, said the Indian embassy will find an occasion to honour his bravery.
Meanwhile, Pravasi Jalan, an Indian social organisation in Jalan, said Salah and Nasser are loved by everyone in the town.
“They are respected for their deeds. They are compassionate towards everyone. They never say no to anyone who needs help,” the Pravasi Jalan members added.
The sailors are waiting in Jalan to get the paper work done before flying to India.
The vessel they were sailing in had 69 cars, food items, cooking oil and tyres on board. The vessel was headed to Yemen from Sharjah.