FUJAIRAH // Two families were in a state of shock and grief on Monday after a little boy drowned in a well and a teenager died trying to rescue him.
Ahmad Al Samahi, 7, had been playing in a muddy pond in Al Wahla, Fujairah, unaware that recent rainfall had swollen the waters and concealed the well. His foot slipped and he fell in.
Sultan Al Yamahi, 19, despite being unable to swim, jumped in to try to save the little boy, but both drowned.
An emergency team administered first aid at the scene on Sunday afternoon and the boys were taken to Kalba hospital, but they were pronounced dead at 6.30pm, said Maj Dr Saeed Al Hassani of Fujairah Police.
“I couldn’t believe what I heard, when everybody rushed to the well to see what was going on,” said Sultan’s mother, Fatima Al Sharqi.
“I couldn’t even move my legs but I gathered myself and went to rescue him, but when I arrived he was already dead. God bless him, he was so kind to everyone and always helpful.
“He tried to help that poor boy although he doesn’t know how to swim, and we lost them both.”
Ahmad’s mother, Fatima Abdulrahman, 30, said: “After school, Ahmad went to play with his friends. At 4.40pm I heard the people outside shouting and screaming about my son and another boy drowning in the well, where all the rainwater had gathered.
“His uncle rushed with his Pakistani worker to save the boys, but when they arrived it was too late. They managed to pick them up and tried to revive them but with no hope.”
Najmih Al Aqabali, Sultan’s sister-in-law, said: “Everybody was there but they didn’t have the courage to jump in, it was too dangerous. But after many attempts they managed to pull them out.
“We are not trained to do CPR and the lack of a healthcare facility has affected us badly.”
Fatima Al Samahi, Ahmad’s aunt, said police had unable to reach the scene of the accident on time. “They called the police station here in Al Wahla but they told us they couldn’t do anything right now because they were not trained. The ambulance took 30 minutes to get here and by that time they were gone.
“We submitted a request last year for a healthcare clinic and a civil defence centre but nothing happened. If we had one it might have saved their lives.”
Elsewhere in the Northern Emirates heavy rain and thunder and lightning hit Khor Fakkan city and surrounding areas on Saturday and lasted until the early hours of Sunday, blocking traffic in city roads and residential areas.
The downpours caused low visibility on roads along the east coast.
Homes in Al Madifi in Khor Fakkan were hit by heavy rainfall and roads turned into huge rainwater puddles that made it hard for residents to get in or out of their homes and caused damage to vehicles and houses.
Residents told Al Ittihad, the Arabic-language sister newspaper of The National, they were surprised by the flooding because there is a new road network with a modern drainage system.
Emirati resident Jamal Saif thanked Khor Fakkan Municipality for pumping water away throughout the night, but said residents however were questioning the project that took more than three years to complete, only for the entire area to be submerged after one day of rainfall.
rhaza@thenational.ae