RAS AL KHAIMAH // A man has been discovered starving and close to death in the Ras al Khaimah mountains after allegedly crossing into the country illegally. The Asian man had been lost for days before he was found, said Lt Col Saeed al Yamahi, the head of RAK Police Aviation section. "We got a tip from a passenger plane pilot that there was a person stuck in the mountains in the morning [yesterday]," Lt Col Yamahi said.
Rescuers surveyed the remote area from the air and within 30 minutes spotted the man, who officials believe entered the country from Oman. Police have not established how long the man was in the country. He was treated for dehydration and heat-related sickness before being transferred to hospital. Lt Col Yamahi said the man would be referred to public prosecutors and was expected to appear in court to answer charges of illegal entry once his heath improved.
A police source involved in the rescue confirmed the man was close to death when he was found: "Our doctor said if we had not picked him up for another day, he would have died. He couldn't walk or talk." Lt Col Yamahi said the case was the second of its type recently. "The mountains are not safe, it's not right for someone to walk such long distances in isolated areas, this craziness should stop."
ykakande@thenational.ae
