Police issue warning as ‘exhausted hikers’ are rescued

Police in Ras Al Khaimah have warned the public against embarking on mountain hikes after three ‘exhausted’ walkers were rescued from a mountain at the weekend.

The hikers, who were suffering from heat exhaustion, were flown from Jebel Janas on Friday.

An Air Wing team found the trio in Saliyah Al Baqal at an altitude of 1,200 metres.

The Emiratis set off at sunrise on Friday morning and called for help in the late afternoon. RAK Air Wings sent a helicopter and rescued the men within 15 minutes. Even by late afternoon, temperatures were in the high thirties, a weather forecast showed.

Col Saeed Al Yammahi, head of the air division and the pilot who flew the mission, appealed to the public to avoid mountain areas during summer, when temperatures can touch 50°C during the day.

Major Khaled Al Naqbi of Ras Al Khaimah Police said two of the men were older than 60, though the mountains can be dangerous to anyone at this time of year.

“During this time of such high temperatures, we wish that people will not go to the mountains at all and if they do go, they communicate their plans to the authorities before setting out,” Maj Al Naqbi said.

Tour operators have repeatedly warned the public to avoid hiking in the mountains during summer.

Earlier this month, two hikers were rescued from Jebel Jais after losing their way as night fell. The pair, described only as Europeans and brother and sister, were found hours later.

Accidents and deaths are reported in the mountainous border region every year. In June, a British hiker died after falling in the Manaie area, near Oman.

Last week, authorities warned the public to avoid wadis when it rains after four people, including two children, drowned in floods in Fujairah and Sharjah.