Body of Indian Teen Swept Away in UAE Flash Flood Found In Oman

The body of Albert Joy, who was washed away in a flash flood at Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates, was found on the shores of Oman on Nov. 22 after a massive search operation. The police revealed that the teenager’s decomposed body was pulled out of a dam in Oman’s Madha area, which is 20 km away from Wadi Shis from where he went missing on Nov. 16.

The operation was conducted by the UAE Police and Royal Oman Police. The UAE rescue team consisted of 75 members, Lieutenant-Colonel Waleed Al Yamahi, the director of Khor Fakkan Police, said, Gulf News reported.

The father of the 18-year-old youth went to Oman for the identification of the body, which was handed over to the UAE Police and taken to Fujairah Forensic Department for post-mortem, one of the relatives was quoted as saying by the publication.

“The family wants to do his funeral in their hometown in Kerala as his grandparents live there. We are waiting for the approvals,” a family friend told Gulf News.

The authorities extended the search to Oman after the family requested them to do so on Nov. 21 as the search operations in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi had not yielded results. While the car was found, the search for the boy wasn’t fruitful until the search covered Oman.

This request was made to Vipul, the Indian Consul-General in Dubai, by the family when he visited their house at Ras Al Khaimah on Nov. 21. According to Vipul, the Indian Embassy in Oman asked Omani authorities for help after they took up the matter with the mission. He added that the consulate would assist the family for repatriating the body.

Colonel Mohammad Abdullah Al Obaid, the director of the Eastern Region Police, commended the effort and coordination between police departments of the two countries. He also asked the public to heed the warnings issued by the Ministry of the Interior and the Sharjah Police. He emphasized that residents are required to move away from spots where runoff water from valleys and mountain areas flows during heavy rains.

Joy, an engineering student from Ras Al Khaimah, was trapped in flash floods when he went to the area on an outing along with five of his friends. A local person, Khalifa Ali Bin Saeed Al Naqbi, and his employees rescued five of them. Al Naqbi told Gulf News that Joy refused to jump into water as he could not leave his father’s car. The vehicle was swept away. The teen is survived by his parents and sister.