Wednesday 24 / April / 2024
Muscat: Two young Omanis— Hamyar Al Nasri and his nephew Tariq Al Nasri—died while attempting to save the lives of two Saudi Arabian girls in Wadi Darbat on Friday.
Hamyar, 25 and Tariq, 21, who hailed from Al Aishi village in the wilayat of Bahla were spending time at the wadi when they heard the girls crying out for help.
The two didn’t know how to swim, but sacrificed their lives and jumped into the water to save the two girls who slipped and fell while taking pictures, according to the deceased’s family member.
Mustafa Al Nasri, one of the witnesses and Tariq’s brother, told the Times of Oman, “There were four people sitting near the wadi when the incident took place at 1.55pm on Friday. We were sitting only 100 metres away when we heard the screams of the two girls.”
“Hamyar and Tariq quickly ran towards the water and we ran behind them. They didn’t know how to swim. But they dove deep, and it was slippery as well. They pulled the two girls out of the water, and I saw them struggling as they couldn’t get out of the water,” he added. “I saw only my brother Tariq. I couldn’t see my uncle. My brother’s head was a little out of the water. I don’t know how to swim very well, and I told him to grab my T-shirt.”
Tariq tried to grab me twice, but drowned. A person who’s drowning tries to grab onto anything at that moment. You cannot think or plan anything when you’re in the moment. When I tried to rescue him, he let go and the water dragged him deeper. I got out of the wadi and called out for help, but by that time we couldn’t even see them anymore,” Al Nasri said.
He added that the bodies of the deceased were recovered at 2.50pm. “They are heroes and we are so proud of them. This comes as no surprise as they would always offer help to others. May their souls rest in peace,” a sobbing Al Nasri said.
An official at the Royal Oman Police confirmed that the victims were attempting to rescue the two Saudi girls, without giving further details.
The Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) announced on Friday that they tried to rescue the two citizens from the wadi, but despite the emergency personnel’s best efforts, they drowned.
In a statement, PACDA said, “The rescue teams at the Civil Defence and Ambulance Department in Dhofar responded to the reports of the drowning of the two citizens in Wadi Darbat, where they were rescued. The ambulance crew exerted painstaking efforts by providing emergency medical care, but they couldn’t be saved.”
The PACDA called upon visitors to the governorate to follow instructions and guidelines in order to avoid such unfortunate incidents.
“PACDA in Dhofar continues to secure tourists sites and educate visitors at tourist spots by providing advice, distributing awareness booklets and informing them about the risks and how to avoid them,” it added.
Marhoon bin Said Al Amri, Director-General of Tourism in the Governorate of Dhofar, told the Times of Oman, “Unfortunately, a few visitors do not follow guidelines and deliberately venture into the green landscapes, going into wadis and swimming in the water springs.”
He added that the personnel at PACDA are intensifying their presence during the Khareef season, but can’t keep up with the increasing number of violators.
Embassy condoles victims
The Saudi Embassy in Muscat offered condolences to the family of the deceased, according to a statement issued by the embassy.
“The embassy had followed the announcement by the PACDA in Oman about the drowning of some visitors in Wadi Darbat in Dhofar Governorate over the weekend, which resulted in the death of the two Omani youth, Tariq bin Salim bin Saeed Al Nasri and Hamyar bin Saif bin Saeed Al Nasri. May Allah have mercy on them and bestow their families with patience and solace,” the statement read.
The statement added that Eid Al Taqafi, the Saudi ambassador to Oman, had called up the father of Tariq, the deceased, offering him his deepest condolences.
The embassy called upon Saudi tourists in Dhofar to abide by the instructions of the PACDA and to exercise caution when they approach water bodies.
In October 2016, two Sri Lankan girls drowned after attempting to take a selfie next to Ain Jarziz water spring in Salalah. The girls, who were at a family picnic, were posing for a picture when one of them slipped.
