No maritime incidents in Dubai during Eid
dubai — No maritime accidents were recorded during Eid Al Adha holidays in Dubai, a top official has said.
Brigadier Abdulla Rashid Abdulla, Director of Port Police Station, attributed the drop in maritime accidents to the awareness campaign organised by the Dubai Police ahead of Eid.
Major Ali Abdullah Al Naqbi, Director of Maritime Rescue Department, said that only one person was killed and 60 injured since the beginning of the year.
He said that most of the accidents were caused by youngsters who want to show off their swimming skills who are rarely aware of dangerous areas and go into the sea at an inappropriate time.
Al Naqbi also urged people who have chronic diseases like diabetes, and those with high blood pressure or heart disease to inform the rescuers on the beaches before they stepped into the sea so that they will be monitored in anticipation of any emergency during their stay in the water.
Al Naqbi revealed that rescuers had found an injured elderly, who was about to drown was diabetic, while they were resuscitating him. He added that the accidents are often caused by repeated mistakes or exposure to water jets or strong currents.
He added that the reasons for drowning vary according to age. In the case of young people, 70% of the incidents were caused by their desire to draw attention of others as some of them believe having power muscles will help them swim better than others.
Al Naqbi said that the rescue teams face big problems while dealing with ‘arrogant’ youngsters who ignore warning and subject themselves to drowning.
He said that people need to adhere to marine guidelines and it will becomes more difficult for police to rescue them at night, citing an incident happened a few months ago.
A young man and a woman went for swimming late at night and they got separated from each other because of strong waves at sea.
He said that people from various nationalities are not aware of preventive measures adding that Europeans are more educated than others, and are committed to follow instructions. According to him, Europeans use bracelets or necklaces to show that they have chronic diseases so that they can avail of emergency care when exposed to danger. But other nationalities are reluctant to use bracelets either they feel embarrassed, or they believe nothing will happen to them.
Al Naqbi stressed that safety should be a top priority, calling for people having diseases not to feel embarrassed about disclosing their status, while going to Dubai beaches for swimming, as rescue teams will act promptly in case of any emergency.
Naqbi said that the marine rescue teams are ready to help at any time and beachgoers should call the police immediately in case of emergency. He urged them to carry devices that show their location when they go deep into the sea; avoid swimming in areas where they see red flags and rocky areas.
amira@khaleejtimes.com