Tragedy in UAE: Egyptian man dies on first day of work, cause revealed

Dubai: What was meant to be the start of a new life for Ahmed Adel ended in heartbreak.

The 31-year-old Egyptian, who arrived in the UAE last Sunday to provide for his young family, died on his first day at work, just three days after landing, following a sudden cardiac arrest.

According to Al Watan newspaper, Adel, a father of two from Alexandria, had been struggling financially after the collapse of his small grocery business. Determined to ease the burden on his wife and young sons, aged 4 and 18 months, he accepted a construction job in the UAE.

On his first day at a building site in the Central Region, relatives said he collapsed, and co-workers initially suspected heatstroke. A coroner’s report later confirmed the cause of death as cardiac arrest.

“He didn’t even get the chance to settle in. He worked one day, and on that day, he died,” said his cousin, Ibrahim Mahrous.

The tragedy has left the family shattered. Adel’s father, who lost his wife three years ago, struggled to process the sudden death of his only son. His wife, who last spoke to him just hours before he collapsed, described receiving the call no partner expects. “It was a shock that crushed the whole family,” Mahrous said.

Relatives said Adel reassured his family after arriving in the Emirates, but privately admitted he was struggling with the pressures of the job. His final words to his wife reflected his exhaustion and hope of finding less demanding work. “He told her he was tired and wanted to look for something else,” Mahrous recalled. “But fate did not give him the chance.”

The return of Adel’s body took 11 days. His coffin arrived in Alexandria, where he was buried in the family plot. Neighbours and relatives gathered to console the family, remembering him as a former bodybuilding champion of Alexandria with no history of smoking, addiction, or chronic illness.

The case drew wide attention on social media after Egyptian influencer Hussein El Gohary shared details of the repatriation ordeal. El Gohary said a mutual acquaintance asked him to intervene, and he spent five days coordinating with Dubai Police and the Egyptian Consulate.

“I had never met him before, but I told him at the morgue: Don’t worry, I’ll get you home to your family,” El Gohary wrote on Facebook.

Egypt’s Ambassador to the UAE, Sherif Issa, and consular officials worked with Emirati authorities to speed up paperwork, confirm Adel’s identity, and certify the cause of death. A death certificate issued by the Egyptian Consulate on 18 September confirmed he had died of natural causes unrelated to any infectious disease.

His coffin was prepared and sealed under health and legal supervision before being flown back to Egypt.