SHARJAH // Six sailors have been rescued after their boat sank in rough seas 16 kilometres off the coast of Sharjah at 7am on Tuesday.
One of the men was in “poor health” but the others were in a stable condition, authorities said.
The sailors were rescued by a team from Sharjah Police’s Air Wing and taken to Al Qassimi Hospital.
Maj Jamal Al Matroushi, a pilot with the air wing, said they were alerted that the ship was in distress and hurried to the scene.
“We gave all of them first aid and then carried them to Al Qassimi Hospital,” he said.
Maj Al Matroushi said the air-sea rescue team was only able to find four sailors at first, who told the team that two of their colleagues were missing. A brief search found the men.
Maj Al Matroushi said the accident was caused by bad weather and high waves.
Dr Safiya Seif Al Khajeh, the hospital’s medical director, said they treated the rescued sailors at the emergency department.
She said four were allowed to leave but two of the rescued party were suffering from severe fatigue and had inhaled diesel fumes, so were kept under observation. They were due to be discharged in a day once their conditions had improved.
The coastline of the Northern Emirates is notorious for its rough seas, particularly between January and March, with a number of ships sinking or running aground each year.
The Sea Blue became stranded on Ajman’s corniche in January after it got into trouble in rough seas.
The stricken vessel, which was on its way to Africa, attracted crowds of curious visitors before eventually being cut up and sold for scrap.
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