8.43 AM Friday, 29 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:56 06:10 12:26 15:53 18:37 19:52
29 March 2024

Body of Emirati boy who fell into Nile found

Published
By Staff with inputs from Wam

The body of Emirati boy Hamad Abdullah Al-Ali was found on Sunday at 1 pm, UAE local time, Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry Juma Mubarak Al-Jenaibi stated.

The boy fell into River Nile on Friday evening, September 7, he said.

The UAE Embassy in Cairo is going through procedures, overseen directly by the UAE ambassador, to transport the body to the UAE as soon as possible, he added.

At least on local Arabic daily quoted family members as saying they expected the body to reach Sharjah today and the funeral to be held immediately.

Earlier: An anxious Emirati family is awaiting news of their six-year-old son Hamad Abdullah Al Ali who went missing while on a cruise on River Nile two days ago. The Sharjah-based family, who owns an apartment in Cairo, was on a holiday in Egypt, when the mishap occured.

Emarat Al Youm quoted Asma, a relative of the family, as saying that the child was happily playing and later when the boat started rocking due to rough waves, he settled down in between family members on a bench at the back of the boat. However, the little boy lost his balance and disappeared into the darkness.

The child's father immediately attempted to jump into the waters in search of his son, but the ship's crew stopped him citing it was too dark. He then apparently pleaded with the crew to stop the boat and look for his son, but they did not pay heed saying once it got darker their vision would get increasingly impaired and asked him to return the next day to search, the paper quoted the cousin as saying.

The desperate family waited until dawn before the father returned to the spot looking for his boy. He then informed police and the embassy.

The missing child is the youngest of three children. He has an 21-year-old sister and a 14-year-old brother.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the UAE Embassy in Egypt, is tracking the search and rescue (S&R) operation, reported Wam. 

Juma Mubarak Al Junaibi, Undersecretary of Ministry, stated that the ministry's operations room had received a call from the father of the missing child that his child had fallen into the Nile during a voyage on Friday, September 7, 2012.

''Upon taking the accident report, the ministry immediately swung into action, instructing the embassy in Cairo to approach the concerned authorities in Egypt to take necessary measures to search the child,'' he said.

He underscored that the ministry lends top priority to welfare of Emirati citizens abroad and will spare no effort to provide them with assistance in case they face any problems overseas.

ALSO READ:

700,000 students on roads today... Parents pack for traffic jams




Apple’s new iPhone5 to hit UAE this month; Price range between Dh2,500 and Dh3,500




Sharjah Police find Pakistani woman dead in car