By Matters India Reporter
Dubai: The body of an engineering student from Kerala, who was washed away by flash floods in UAE, was found in neighbouring Oman after six days of non-stop search operations involving the police authorities of the two countries.
The body of Albert Joy, 18, was found at Al Madha Dam, in the Sultanate of Oman, 20 km from Wadi Sheis in eastern Sharjah from where he had been swept away on November 16.
Wadi is the Arabic term for a valley or a dry riverbed that contains water during heavy rain.
Joy and his five Indian friends were in a four-wheeler that became trapped in the flooded valley in Khor Fakkan. An Emirati national who had advised the boys not to go toward the wadi, later rescued five of them with the help of his employees. The Emirati rescuer said Joy refused to jump into the water surrounding the vehicle, probably out of fear of the water and also because he did not want to desert his father’s car, which was then swept away in the floods.
While the vehicle was found later, Joy’s body had drifted away. The search and rescue teams of Sharjah Police, Dubai Police, Air Wing of Abu Dhabi Police, sniffer dogs, in cooperation with Omani authorities had worked in unison to find the body.
The teen is survived by his parents and a younger sister; who have been living in the emirate of RAK for many years.Joy’s parents was away in Kerala, when the tragedy struck. The funeral will be held in his hometown in Ernakulam district.
A second-year student of Birla Institute of Technology Offshore Campus, Ras Al Khaimah Albert completed his schooling and lived most of his life in the UAE.
Indian Consul General to Dubai, Vipul (one name), visited Albert’s family and was very supportive. The consulate alerted the Indian Embassy in Oman, which then took it up with Omani police authorities.
Residents are generally advised by the police to stay away from spots where runoff water from valleys and mountain areas flow during the heavy rains, but some do not heed the warning leading to fatal accident.