Ras Al Khaimah: A Pakistani man died in a road crash caused by heavy rain in the Al Saeedi area of Ras Al Khaimah on Saturday, taking the death toll to two in the last 48 hours.
Three others — two of his relatives and an Indian man — sustained moderate to serious injuries.
The 54-year-old victim Lal Khan was driving on the Al Saeedi Road which connects Al Taweyeen Roundabout and Emirates Road. His relatives N.Kh, 28 and B.Kh, 19, were with him in the vehicle when he lost control because of the heavy rain.
Colonel Hassan Rashid Al Braiki, deputy director of the RAK Traffic and Licensing Department, said the victim's vehicle skidded to the opposite side of the street and collided with another vehicle driven by the 31-year-old Indian A.K.
He added that Khan died on the spot. One relative and the Indian man sustained moderate injuries while the other relative was seriously injured.
Treatment
The victim's body was taken to the morgue of Saqr Hospital and will be handed over for his family for burial later. The injured are being treated at the hospital.
Colonel Al Braiki said several police vehicles and ambulances rushed to the accident scene once the control room was alerted.
The two vehicles involved in the accident were badly damaged. The police had to move them off the street to ease traffic flow. Al Saeedi was closed for a while and traffic diverted. Colonel Al Braiki urged drivers to be extremely careful, especially during the rains, as vehicle can easily skid on wet roads.
An Emirati had drowned after his vehicle went astray in Wadi Galeelah on Saturday.
Police airlift 333 people to safety
Ras Al Khaimah: The Air Wing of the RAK Police has rescued 333 people stuck in flooded wadis during the heavy rainfall that lashed the emirate on Saturday.
Two of the wing's helicopters were operational all day. They rescued 330 people in the Wadi Al Beeh area and three others in Galeelah after their vehicles were stranded in the heavily flooded wadis.
Major Saeed Rashid Al Yamahi, who heads the Air Rescue Wing at the RAK Police, said scores of people, both Emiratis and expatriates, had travelled to the area to enjoy the flooded wadis.
He added that many of these people were surrounded by the wadis and could not return safely, so they contacted the Police Operation Room which assigned the helicopters to rescue them.
He said each helicopter carried 30 people in each trip. Some were transported to safer areas while those who needed medical treatment were taken to hospital.
Priority
Major Al Yamahi said the elderly, children and pregnant women were given priority in the rescue mission.
The RAK Traffic and Licensing Department on Saturday registered 65 road accidents that were reported due to the heavy rain.
The department reported a death case and five injuries that were rushed to the hospital for treatment.
The Aid and Rescue Section also conducted eight missions to help people stuck in the wadis.
