Elderly Indian visiting UAE dies of heart attack

Sharjah: A retired college professor from the Indian state of Kerala, who remained in the UAE as he could not travel back following flight suspensions to check the spread of coronavirus, died of a heart attack on Friday, relatives said.

Prof. M. Sreekumar, 70, and his wife Sreekumari were visiting their daughter Sreeja, a teacher in Sharjah. They were to return to Kerala on Saturday but that was not possible as the flights have been suspended.

Sreekumar, a statistics professor, had retired from Maharajas College in Ernakulam in Kerala after decades of service.

“He suffered a chest pain last night and was rushed to a private hospital in Sharjah. It was an acute heart attack and he passed away this morning,” the relative said.

He said the elderly man did not suffer from any other health complications.

“His second daughter’s family is back home. He was revered by hundreds of students. Unfortunately, we cannot fly his body to Kerala at this point of time. So, the family has decided to cremate him in Sharjah,” the relative said.