Ras Al Khaimah: Parents of an Indian teenager who was swept away in flash floods in Khor Fakkan on Tuesday requested authorities to extend the search for their son to Oman.
The grieving parents of Albert Joy made this request to Vipul, Indian Consul General in Dubai, when he visited them at their home in Ras Al Khaimah on Tuesday.
Their 18-year-old son was last seen drifting away in a car in the flash flood caused by heavy rain in northern emirates on November 16.
- Vipul | Indian Consul General in Dubai
An extensive search for Joy by police teams Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi — including air wing and sniffer dogs — has not been fruitful yet. Though the car was found, they have not been able to find the missing boy.
Since the search has been limited to the jurisdiction of the UAE, Joy’s family is now appealing to extend the search to the neighbouring country of Oman.
“The family and community members feel that a search on the Oman side of the border may yield a positive result,” Vipul told Gulf News after the visit to Joy’s house.
He said the relatives believe Joy could have been washed away to a dam in a neighbouring area in Oman.
“Because of their specific request, we will be requesting this to the Omani authorities through our embassy in Oman,” the Consul General said.
He expressed his appreciation for the UAE police team that has been carrying out a massive search for the boy.
S. Prasad, a social worker who accompanied the Consul General during his visit, said the parents and relatives of Joy have been shattered that they have not even been able to see him for a last time yet.
Joy was among six Indian friends in a four-wheeler trapped in a flooded valley. An Emirati man, Khalifa Ali Bin Saeed Al Naqbi, and his employees rescued five of the friends, aged between 22 and 23.
Al Naqbi earlier told Gulf News that Joy refused to jump into the water surrounding the vehicle because “he was scared and he said he could not leave his father’s car”, which was swept away.
