Friday 26 / April / 2024
Muscat: “We could have waited for one more day before deciding to start our journey, which could have killed one of us, or may be all of us,” said one of the four people, who were trapped in an area in Tewi in Al Sharqiyah last Sunday, and were later rescued after a harrowing ordeal.
They had gone to see the natural landscape when they were entrapped in the gushing waters.
Yaser Al Ghilani and three of his close friends, Abdulghani Al Balushi, Mohammed Al Majali and Nasir Al Ghilani, went missing in a wadi (valley) for a day and were finally rescued by citizens and the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) staff last Monday.
Al Ghilani, speaking exclusively to the Times of Oman about the incident, which led them to spend one night in the dark and walk for long hours to survive, conceded, “Our trip started last Sunday when we decided to explore a village called Niban near Tewi though it was expected to rain that day too.”
It started as a lovely, bright day for them as they reached the area, parked their vehicle on the side and started walking towards the mountains where they could see a waterfall and other beautiful scenery.
“We were fascinated by the place and started taking pictures and walking to the interiors to find more enchanting scenery,” said Al Ghilani.
They were walking together in groups of two. As they were walking back they suddenly heard a sound, which seemed like a nightmare coming true, and “impossible to believe.”
“It was the sound of water flowing. At first we didn’t want to believe it, but we were soon trapped between mountains. Finally we saw the strong flow of water coming towards us.
“While I and Abdulghani managed to climb the mountain, it was difficult for the other friends to do so as they were right in the middle of the wadi,” recalled Al Ghilani.
Al Ghilani saw his other friends being swept away in the wadi, said Al Ghilani. “I thought they were about to die. Scary thoughts were haunting my mind. I was thinking of the answers I would have to give to their relatives, especially their parents. It was such a difficult situation,” said Al Ghilani.
Inviting trouble
However, he admitted that the incident was of their making and that they had simply invited the trouble upon themselves.
“Abdulghani and I decided to climb the mountain top to survive because we didn’t know if the water level was going to rise further up. The sky was getting darker as we climbed the mountain. Finally, we reached the top and there was nothing there but darkness.”
After a lot of deliberation, they decided to spend the night at the top of the mountain thinking this was the only way they could survive. “We couldn’t think of a solution as we were thinking of the fate of our other friends. Are they still alive?” The two waited for sunrise so that they could figure out where they were.
“Once the (morning) sunlight dawned upon us, we started to walk. I remember it was 5am. We walked for almost seven hours trying to reach an inhabited area,” recalled Al Ghilani, adding that they were very thirsty and tired, but they had to keep moving ahead to keep themselves alive.
“The happiest moment wasn’t when we reached a village, but when we heard that our friends were alive too and that they had been rescued,” said Al Ghilani.
The four people were saved after learning a lesson the hard way.
“After all of this, I asked myself and my friends a question: Is taking pictures and exploring new places worth taking such huge risks? What if we had met with a more serious end?
“After all, we could have waited for one more day and then commenced our journey. I believe the biggest mistake we made was to not care about the messages issued by the Met office and other concerned authorities, warning people about adverse weather conditions,” conceded Al Ghilani.
