Man who fell off Jebel Jais mourns crash victims
ras al khaimah — The Agusta 139 chopper that recently crashed on Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah with four crewmen was in a mission to rescue an Indian national who fell off the highest peak in the country.
The patient, R.B., said he was shocked to see the rescue chopper requested to airlift him to the hospital turning into a fire ball after crashing onto the Jebel Jais.
“I am so sad to know that all the crewmen onboard were killed in the crash,” said R.B., who wished to remain anonymous, extending his condolences to their families and relatives.
Sources told Khaleej Times that the patient was a 45-year-old Indian tourist was on a sightseeing trip with friends on Jebel Jais mountain.
“He fell from the rocks and had a fracture and was shifted to the RAK Hospital.”
We were sitting at the brink of a high rocky part of the mountain, when R.B. lost balance, slipped and fell down at a distance of about 4m.”
Friend of the victim
A friend of the patient, A.K., said he and five of his friends were on a two-week visit to Ras Al Khaimah to enjoy the New Year’s Eve celebrations. “We decided to go to Jebel Jais to spend the entire day there and enjoy the fine weather. We were sitting at the brink of a high rocky part of the mountain, when R.B. lost balance, slipped and fell down at a distance of about four metres.”
The friends tried to rescue R.B., but to no avail. “It was dangerous to reach him because of the slippery and bumpy rocks.”
The friends sought help from a security man at the site. “He immediately reported the incident to the central operations room and told us that a rescue chopper is on the way.”
Few minutes later, the chopper appeared and tried to reach the injured young man. “However, it surprisingly lost control, swirled several times, rammed fell into the mountain, and erupted into flames.”