Qatar
Three brothers drown in sea off Wakrah coast
Three brothers drown in sea off Wakrah coast
| People at the scene of the accident. Left: One of the boats that took part in the rescue operation |
Three Iranian brothers aged 11, 13 and 15 have drowned in the Wakrah area, on the eastern coast of Qatar. The siblings were on a picnic along with their family at the Abu Fatnass beach, when they were reportedly pulled from the shore by currents at around 5pm, local Arabic dailies reported yesterday. The police swung into action after being alerted about the tragic incident by the father and launched a search and rescue operation that involved boats, helicopters and divers. Divers from the Coastal Guard managed to retrieve one of the bodies by 10pm on Saturday and another body was pulled out by midnight the same day.
However, search and rescue efforts are going on to find the third victim, sources said.Some 25 patrols of the Coast Guard and the Internal Security Force personnel were engaged in the operation. Local Arabic daily Al Rayyah quoted residents as saying that the area where the three siblings drowned was dangerous and that the sea bottom was not level.