Teenager drowns off RAK coast after skipping school

Ras Al Khaimah: A student who skipped school has downed at the beach, police have said.

Police, with the help from their counterparts in Dubai, recovered on Sunday the body of a 15-year-old Emirati who drowned off Al Mattaf beach in the Julfar area here, but the police team successfully rescued his other two friends.

The rescue teams recovered the body of the victim Abdullah Mohammad Hassan who, accompanied with two other friends, approached the beach for swimming and having fun after they skipped their classes on Saturday.

The children left their school before the end of their school day and went to the sea where they started swimming before three of them were reported missing.

Major Shaikh Majid Bin Salem Al Qasimi, who heads the emirate's Marine Rescue Section at the emirate's Police, said his section received a report from the police operation room at 10.30am, stating that three people had disappeared off the shore, after they reached the beach.

A team of 22 divers, combining personnel from the Marine Rescue Section and the Coastal Guards, was formed and searched for the missing friends, he said.

Key role

The Ras Al Khaimah Police Air Wing also participated in the search and scanned the scene more than four times, until two people were found and rescued, while the third remained missing until 10pm, said Major Shaikh Al Qasimi, adding that two other teams of divers were formed to start a fresh search mission before the body of the victim was found.

He added that Dubai Police Department played a key role in rescue operation.

The children left their school before the end of their school day and went to the sea before they were reported missing.