Meet brave Emirati who saved five from drowning after boat capsized

An Emirati man is being lauded for his brave feat in rescuing five people from drowning off the coast of The Palm Deira.

The incident on Saturday, with Al Bayan newspaper identifying the Good Samaritan as Mohammed Al Zarouni who dove into the sea to save people from drowning.

According to witnesses, five people were on a private cruise along the The Palm Deira coastline when their boat capsized and they lost their phones, personal belongings and any chance to call out for help.

Al Zarouni, who works as an employee of Dubai government, told Al Bayan that he was and his friend were out at sea near The Palm Deira around 7pm, when they were surprised by hearing voices of distress coming from afar.

The brave man immediately headed his boat towards the source of the voices and that is where they found five people “on the verge of drowning”.

Al Zarouni recalled the harrowing scene, with all five of them desperately clinging to the large plastic water bottles that had been on the boat.

Al Zarouni, along with his friend, jumped into the water and tried to pull them out one by one.

Immediate first aid was administered to two of victims, while the rest were provided water and warm blankets before being transferred to shore.

Refusing to be called the hero of the hour, Al Zarouni said it was the will of a high power that saved those five people from drowning.

The Emirati added that this is not the first time he’s jumped in to save people from drowning; he recalled a similar incident where he saved an Arab woman from similar circumstances.

He recalled the woman was aboard a jet ski at the time when it capsized, taking her and a male relative underwater.

Al Zarouni said the woman wasn’t a swimmer and was desperately trying to stay afloat, while the man was attempting to swim to save himself.

Meanwhile, the owner of the boat that capsized on Saturday said it was his private boat, and an evening out with four of his friends.

Tariq Khamis Daboos said one hour after leaving the shore and 15 nautical miles away from the coastline, a large ship passed them by and the choppy waves hit the boat and led to it capsizing and sinking.

He said: “All of us jumped into the water wearing life jackets and we swam two hours, even splitting ourselves into two groups trying to reach the shore.

“However, the current was very strong and kept pulling us in. Towards the end, we were very exhausted and scared because one among us suffers from heart disease.”

Daboos said that providence sent Al Zarouni with his boat and if it hadn't been for him, they didn't know if they would still be stuck alive or not.

He pointed out that it is the third time for him to be exposed to such experience but some divine power has always saved him.

However, Daboos will also be out of pocket this time around with the Cruiser that sank exceeding Dh100,000 in cost.

Brigadier Abdullah Rashid Director of the port police station praised the heroism of Al Zarouni who saved those people.

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