KUWAIT CITY, June 18: The Ajman Valley desert in Saudi Arabia witnessed a horrific accident which killed a Kuwaiti man and his 8-year-old son of thirst, reports Al- Seyassah daily. The father and son travelled to the desert where their sheep graze. On their way back, their vehicle got stuck in the sand, during which they were unable to contact anyone for help, according to local Saudi media.

The tragic incident occurred when the 82-year-old father, known for his expertise in desert trails, and his child went to a desert site near Al- Nairiyah Governorate. The father’s attempts to get the vehicle out of the sand failed, so he decided to leave his son and go on foot to the Hijrat Moghati area, which is 25 kilometers from the place after his cell phone lost connection, but he died of thirst due to the heat a few hundred meters away from the site. After a while, the little boy passed out because of dehydration while waiting for his father in an area with a temperature of about 46 degrees Celsius.

The family of the two victims stated that the father had contacted them by phone on the morning of the accident. He informed them that his car had broken down and that he would fix it, but then the connection was lost and they were worried, so the process of searching for them began in the desert. The son of the deceased, Ben Bin Faleh Al- Ajmi told Al-Seyassah daily, after searches, my father was found dead 3 km from the location of the car. His death was not due to thirst, because there was water in a canister in his pocket. My brother was also found 60 meters away, as it turned out that my father died first, perhaps because of the extreme heat. My brother died because of thirst and the heat. Al-Ajmi called on citizens heading to the desert to be careful, alert and prepare for such accidents, to keep water and inform relatives of their route.

Bin Faleh Al-Ajmi thanked His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the Prime Minister and National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim for their condolences on this great loss. He also thanked “our ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Ali Al-Khaled and Ibrahim Al-Arfaj, for their great efforts in facilitating the procedures for transporting the bodies of the deceased to Kuwait and their personal follow-up with us, moment by moment, until their burial in the Sabhan cemetery in Kuwait. Al-Ajmi also thanked the Saudi authorities and the Governor of the Eastern Province, His Highness Prince Saud bin Nayef, for harnessing all possibilities, facilitating all procedures, and helping us with this tragedy, and to the loyal Saudi people in supporting us with this tragic calamity.