Dubai: Police carried out a heroic mission on Tuesday night as they rescued three sailors from a ship off the Dubai coast.
The dramatic two-and-a-half minute video shows how a helicopter team from Dubai Police’s General Department of Rescue and Transport locate the ship after it suffered a power failure.
Police initially received an emergency call from Al Hamriya port at 6.53pm on Tuesday, and were notified about three sailors that were experiencing health problems.
The sailors were unable to reach the port due to a sudden power failure at the ship
Dubai Police dispatched a helicopter to rescue the sailors and provided them with first-aid, before transferring the three men to Rashid Hospital.
“It was a hard mission as it was dark and the ship was 12 miles off Dubai’s coast. When the helicopter arrived, they noticed there was no heliport on the ship. But the pilot noticed a small ship nearby and it was carrying sand, and it was good place to land and rescue the sailors,” Lt Colonel Al Mazroui told Gulf News.
Soon after, a Dubai Police rescue boat arrived and transferred the three sailors to the helicopter.
One of the men was identified as a 60-year-old Syrian, who was left in critical condition due to a previous heart condition. The other two were identified as a 41-year-old Syrian and a 33-year-old Egyptian who were experiencing problems with breathing.
“The ship’s generator was broken and they couldn’t reach the land. We managed to save their lives with our fast respond and the good thinking of the pilot who choose a safe place to land near the ship,” said Lt Colonel Al Mazroui.
The two pilots, Lieutenant Abdul Aziz Al Nasour and Lieutenant Abdullah Al Shaer, carried out the entire mission in one hour.
“Dubai Police pilots are trained to face any conditions at any given time. The pilots were smart enough to transfer the sailors to hospital in a short time despite the difficult circumstances in their mission,” he added.
In 2016, Dubai Police carried out 26,237 land rescue and 290 sea rescue missions, at an average of a 12-minute response time.
In 2015, Dubai Police conducted 24,860 rescue missions including 186 sea rescue missions.
In the case of an emergency, police urge the public to call 999 and provide accurate details of their location so police can reach the emergency site in a matter of minutes.
