Ras Al Khaimah assigns lifeguards to four popular beaches

The service began last month on safety grounds

The old corniche in Ras Al Khaimah, one of the areas where lifeguards have been assigned. Sarah Dea / The National

Ras Al Khaimah authorities have assigned lifeguards to permanently monitor four popular beaches in the emirate.

Four public beaches – Flamingo, Al Maarid, Al Rams and the old Al Qasimi Corniche – will be watched.

The safety drive is being overseen by Ras Al Khaimah's Public Services Department and started last month.

“We tasked the lifeguards with monitoring these four beaches because they attracted most visitors,” said Ahmad Al Hammadi, director general of the department.

“They were provided with all the equipment needed including oxygen tanks and pacemakers required in emergency cases to help prevent deaths.”

Authorities have also installed signs that include swimming safety rules.

Flags are used in different colours to notify beachgoers if the sea is rough.

The moves come after several incidents at beaches in the emirate. Last May, a five-year-old Emirati boy died of brain and organ damage relating to oxygen loss after being submerged at Al Maahad beach on April 4.

He was pulled from water alive and spent 50 days in Saqr Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah and Al Qasimi Hospital in Sharjah.

One day before his death, an Emirati teenage boy drowned off Al Rams beach in the emirate.

Dr Ammar Al Hakim, head of the paediatric unit at Ajman's Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, one of the largest hospitals in the Northern Emirates, urged parents to never allow children to swim without armbands.

“Such tragic incidents should be an eye-opener for all parents to be cautious,” he said.

“Pulling a child out of the water doesn’t mean they are safely rescued, because a body deprived of oxygen can lead to severe repercussions.”

Lifeguards in the UAE - in pictures

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A beach lifeguard at the Atlantis The Palm hotel in Dubai. Reuters

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A lifeguard at Wild Wadi water park. Chris Whiteoak / The National