Dubai Police log 1,700 land rescue cases in first two months of year

Dubai Police responded to more than 1,700 rescue missions on land in January and February.

Eight people died and 53 were injured, with most incidents involving calls to road traffic accidents and trapped vehicles, a report says.

“A total of 1,769 land rescue missions were carried out by Dubai Police between the beginning of this year up until February 25,” said Maj Gen Abdullah Bishoh, director of land rescue operations.

“During that time, 220 incidents involved rescuing people trapped in vehicles, 1,049 transporting stuck vehicles and 40 helped people trapped in apartments and elevators.”

But Maj Gen Bishoh said some of his unit’s missions were a little more unusual.

“Some have included rescuing victims who have put their hands in meat grinders. There were around three similar incidents in 2017 and the victims were transferred to hospitals. We split the device while doctors freed their hands.”

In another unusual case, land rescue officers saved the life of a man who hid in an air vent in the third floor of a building and refused to move.

“The 40-year-old man, whose nationality was not disclosed, was running away from police officers and he tried to hide in the ventilation shaft of a building, but he got stuck,” Maj Gen Bishoh said.

“The suspect stayed in the air vent for an entire day, refusing to get out of it. The rescue team provided him with water and continued to contact him throughout the day until he decided to hand himself over to them.

“Police used a rope to extract him from the shaft and embraced all measures to ensure the man’s safety.”

Most of the police unit calls, however, were in response to road accidents.

“Eight people have been killed and 53 others injured in incidents so far this year,” said Maj Gen Bishoh. “Most of the deadly crashes involved rescuing people trapped in cars and minibuses following accidents caused by not paying attention to the road and speeding.

“Last Wednesday morning, a lorry driver was rescued from a major accident caused by not paying attention to the road. He fell asleep while driving, hit a pole and flipped on Emirates Road. The vehicle caught fire.

“Thankfully, we responded to the incident and rescued the driver.”

Maj Bishoh said minivans were involved in a lot of incidents. “Those type of vehicles lack safety standards and are easily involved in car accidents.”

The average land rescue mission unit response time is 11 minutes, police department figures show. There are about 10 police patrols involved in missions in the emirate of Dubai, including those stationed at Hatta, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Jebel Ali, Al Barsha and Deira.

Last year, up to 22,500 land rescue missions were carried out by Dubai Police, compared with 26,250 in 2016.

Speeding and not paying attention to the road led to fatal crashes in which people also had to be extricated from vehicles