Two men drown off Sharjah beaches

Two people drowned off the shores of Sharjah on Friday, while five others had to be rescued, police said.

SHARJAH // Two men drowned while five others had to be rescued at sea in two separate incidents off the coast of Sharjah on Friday.

The body of one of the men, a Somali in his twenties, was recovered by search and rescue teams on Saturday morning.

He had gone missing while swimming with an Egyptian friend, who had been rescued after the incident was reported off Al Khan beach at about 12.30pm on Friday.

Six hours later another drowning was reported to police off Al Hamriya Beach. Four men, from India and Syria, were rescued and transported to hospitals in Ajman and Umm Al Quwain, while a Syrian man was pronounced dead, police said.

Sharjah Police said more residents and tourists visiting the emirate’s beaches as temperatures cool, which has led to a spike in drowning incidents.

They urged beachgoers to abide by rules displayed on signs at beaches and to swim only in designated places. They also warned beachgoers to avoid swimming during rough weather or swimming in deep waters.

The drownings followed the rescue of two Emirati men in Ras Al Khaimah on Thursday, after their vehicle fell into the sea. Beachgoers saved the men, aged 32 and 35, from drowning after they escaped from the vehicle through the windows.

Col Hasan Ibrahim, deputy director of RAK Police, said that the men had been driving in an area with no road barriers. Police and maritime rescue teams recovered the vehicle.