Police guide home family lost in fog
umm al quwain — Stranded in the middle of an unknown desert, under a thick blanket of fog, an Indian family imagined every worst possible scenario.
The family of three was on its way back to their residence in Umm Al Quwain (UAQ) from Sharjah airport late last week, and ended up missing the exit towards UAQ due to poor visibility caused by dense fog.
“It was 12am and it was just my daughter and wife in the car with me. The visibility was under 10 metres. It was pitch black. There were no street lights. And at one point I realised that I’d gone off the road,” said Jose George, while recounting the incident. George works in Jebel Ali while his wife is a nurse at a hospital in UAQ.
Luckily for the family, two UAQ police officers guided them out of the dense fog, despite the harsh weather conditions. Speaking to Khaleej Times, Jose’s daughter Helen, a grade 11 student in Sharjah, said: “We were at the airport to see off my father’s friend. We left the airport at 11.30pm to get back home.
“We exited the airport road and entered Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road to drive towards UAQ. However, we ended up missing the exit and drove towards Ras Al Khaimah instead,” she added.
After a while, the family realised they were totally lost, and stopped their car on the hard shoulder close to exit 96 on the highway.
“I was doubly worried because it was just two women in the car with me and I had to get them to safety… I didn’t want to take any risks. I couldn’t call any of my friends for help either because there was no way they could find me in that fog,” said George.
He decided to dial 999 instead, and like a stroke of luck, a police patrol car drove past the family. “We signalled at the patrol car and explained that we were lost.”
“The policeman asked us to follow him, but we lost him after a few minutes of driving, realising
Luckily, the policeman who was guiding us also found us. It seemed like he was waiting on the highway for us… He drove us all the way back to the entrance of Umm Al Quwain.” Jose George, UAQ resident, Indian
We exited the airport road and entered Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road to drive towards UAQ. However, we ended up missing the exit and drove towards Ras Al Khaimah instead.” Helen, Grade 11 student
we had driven the vehicle off-road. That is when I got really worried, and luckily again, we saw another 4x4 vehicle drive past us,” added Helen. George followed the car for a few moments until they reached the main road again.
“Luckily, the policeman who was guiding us also found us. It seemed like he was waiting on the highway for us… He drove us all the way back to the entrance of Umm Al Quwain,” said Helen.
The family stated that had it not been for the police, they would have waited on the deserted road until morning. “Thanks to the UAE police for its efficient and quick service. We are really blessed to live in such a well secured and safe country like UAE,” said Helen.