Dubai: Friends and colleagues are in shock after a 24-year-old Indian expat died of heart attack in Dubai early on Sunday morning.
Sandhij A.S, who was a supervisor with the Al Khayam Bakery’s dispatch section, suffered a heart attack while he was asleep in his company’s accommodation in Al Ghusais, colleagues said.
Also known as Appu, Sandhij had not shown any symptoms of heart disease earlier, the colleagues said. He did not smoke or drink. He played football and was physically fit.
We cooked together. He took the lead in making fish fry and borrowed a mike from one of our colleagues and he sang songs. We had a nice time. But we never knew it was our last night together.
However, they suspect that it could be hereditary as they came to know that his father had also died at a young age.
“It seems his father had died when he was young. But, we don’t know if Sandhij had any heart disease earlier,” said Noufal Edathadathil, a PRO with the company who lives in the next door apartment.
Sandhij’s roommates said they had spent a jolly night on Saturday. “We cooked together. He took the lead in making fish fry and borrowed a mike from one of our colleagues and he sang songs. We had a nice time. But we never knew it was our last night together,” said Shafi Abdul Kareem, one of the roommates.
He said Sandhij had gone to bed around 1am. “I woke up hearing some noise around 3.30am. I saw him lying on one side and shivering. He was frothing at mouth and he wasn’t responding when we called.”
Shafi said friends could not recognise Sandhij was having a heart attack. “We thought he was having fits and we didn’t give him water or try to do chest compression because of that. When we called the ambulance, the paramedics gave us the instruction to do chest compression.”
However, it was too late. Sandhij gasped for breath and collapsed in his third deep breath. Though he was rushed to a hospital, he could not be revived.
Social worker Naseer Vatanappally, who is assisting with the repatriation procedures, said Sandhij’s body would be flown to his hometown in the south Indian state of Kerala after finishing the legal formalities.
He said Sandhij’s mother and younger brother have been informed about their sole breadwinner’s demise.
Sandhij had joined the company a year-and-a-half ago and had not visited home after coming to Dubai. “He was planning to go on his first vacation in April.We don’t know how they can bear his return like this,” said Shafi.
