One person died and sixteen others were rescued after a boat capsized off the coast of Sharjah on Friday afternoon.
A major search and rescue operation was launched by emergency services after the alarm was raised over the incident.
Four people were injured, including a young child, officials said.
Col Dr Ali Al Hamoudi, director of the Eastern Region Police Department, said a report was received by its operations room after a leisure boat had overturned, leaving passengers in the sea.
Rescue teams, the national ambulance, police patrols and the coastguard were called into action.
“All passengers on board were recovered but four of them, including a child, sustained injuries from the accident,” said Col Al Hamoudi.
No details about the extent or nature of their injuries were revealed by police.
They were immediately taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
“Unfortunately, one of the injured, a 38-year-old Asian national, succumbed to their injuries,” said Col Al Hamoudi.
Initial investigations by police revealed the accident resulted from breaches in the operation of the vessel.
Those responsible for the boat's operation have been referred to the relevant authorities for further legal action, police said.
The senior officer urged leisure boat companies to abide by security and safety procedures.
He stressed the importance of sailing cautiously, not exceeding the permitted number of passengers and ensuring that all on board wear life jackets to safeguard the well-being of tourists.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
