A top interior ministry official in the UAE drowned Friday “in a heroic bid to save the lives of his companions after their boat capsized off the coast of Abu Dhabi,” reported the Gulf News on Sunday.
Maj. Gen. Humaid Ali Saif Al Nuaimi tried to swim to a nearby oil rig to get help while his friends clung to their overturned boat, but failed to make it.
His four companions were rescued, but the body of the major was not recovered until Saturday, floating more than seven kilometres off the coast, said the paper.
Al Nuaimi was assistant undersecretary for planning affairs in the ministry.
"He died by drowning in the sea when he was rescuing his companions after their boat overturned during a fishing expedition," the ministry said in a statement.
An official told the paper that Nuaimi had gone fishing with a relative and three other companions.
Their boat somehow capsized in the area between Abu Al Abbiyad island and Adh Dhabbiyah peninsula.
Nuaimi urged his companions to hold on while he swam toward a nearby oil rig to get help, but could not make it – Albawaba.com
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