Sailors rescued after ship capsizes at sea in Dubai during storm

Seven sailors have been brought to safety after their ship capsized when storms hit Dubai on Sunday evening.

Two of the men were thrown into the water as the ship toppled near Palm Deira. A distress call was sent out at 7.52pm by the crew, but they could not reveal their location.

Lieutenant Colonel Ali Al Naqbai, head of maritime rescue at Dubai Police, said that the ship did not have a GPS system.

Col Al Naqbai said that rescue teams were able to track down the stricken ship despite that and the rough winds which coincided with a high tide.

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“The lack of a GPS made it harder for the rescue team members to easily locate the vessel, a thing that could have taken less than five minutes with a GPS being available,” said Mr Al Naqbi. Two rescue boats were tasked with the mission, he said.

One of the two sailors who fell into the water suffered minor injuries.

Col Al Naqbai called on sailors to abide by safety instructions and stressed the importance of installing GPS systems.