DUBAI: Nine Pakistanis lost their lives amidst the heaviest rainfall in more than seven decades in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said the Pakistan diplomatic mission in the UAE.
The victims, hailing from diverse regions across Pakistan, faced perilous circumstances amidst the tumultuous weather, as revealed by a senior diplomat. Out of the nine individuals who tragically lost their lives, three were natives of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), three hail from the Punjab, and two others were from Sindh.
Furthermore, one victim was from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) region.
Muhammad Basharat, who hails from Kotli, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), tragically lost his life when his vehicle was engulfed by floodwaters in Dubai. Similarly, Ahtisham Khursheed met a grim fate as his vehicle succumbed to the rising waters in the same emirate.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Shakeel from Kotli, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Sajawal Shahid from Gujranwala, Punjab, suffered a fatal electrocution incident in Dubai, while Asif Ali and Hamza, natives of Qambar Shahdadkot, Sindh, were tragically killed when a wall collapsed amidst heavy rainfall in Al Ain, the fourth-largest city in the UAE and part of the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Another Pakistani, Zameer Abbas, from Mandi Bahauddin, Punjab, found himself trapped in his vehicle in rainwater in Sharjah, meeting a tragic end. Bahar Ali, who hails from the city of Hangu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), engaged in valiant rescue efforts in the Al Dhaid area of Sharjah but tragically succumbed after falling into floodwaters. Moreover, Mohammad Kamran, from Kotli, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), died in a fatal road accident amidst the torrential rain in Dubai.
According to the diplomatic mission, the swift repatriation of their bodies, facilitated after diplomatic clearance, provides a small sense of relief to their grieving families amidst the immense sorrow they are facing. “Being able to lay their loved ones to rest in their homeland allows the families to begin the grieving process and find some closure during this heartbreaking tragedy,” a senior diplomat said.