Family vacation turns to tragedy as Indian father and daughter drown in Sharjah

The Indian man's family was in the Emirates on a three month holiday

Police have urged swimmers not to venture into the waters in low light or when the seas are rough. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

A family vacation turned to tragedy when a father and daughter were swept away by waves at a beach in Sharjah on Wednesday.

The Indian family was on a holiday in the Emirates when Ismayil Thazhe Chandamkandiyil, 47, and his daughter, Amal Ismayil, 18, drowned off Al Heera Beach near the Sharjah-Ajman border.

The father, from the Indian state of Kerala, jumped into the water to save his three children and two of his brother’s as they struggled to swim in the choppy waters.

Mr Chandamkandiyil saved four children but drowned with his older daughter.

The family went to the beach to enjoy a swim. The children were playing in the water when the incident happened at 4.30pm on Wednesday. Police were alerted immediately and a rescue team was dispatched.

Within 30 minutes their bodies resurfaced in the same area. A police officer said the team tried to revive the father and the daughter but they were dead.

Mr Chandamkandiyil was an employee of the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai. His family was on a holiday in the Emirate.

Their bodies were moved to the Kuwaiti Hospital morgue in Sharjah.