Bambi Eloriaga-Amago
“He preferred that his daughter die rather than she be touched by a strange man.”
This harrowing moment was what Lt. Col. Ahmed Burqibah, Deputy Director of Dubai Police’s Search and Rescue Department, recounted when asked by news website Emirates 24/7 about the worst incidents encountered during his tenure.
Apparently, a man of Asian descent had taken his wife and children for a holiday on a beach in Dubai. The children went for a swim, but the 20-year-old daughter suddenly started flailing in the water and screamed for help. Two rescuers were on-site and rushed to the girl’s aid.
“However, there was one obstacle which prevented them from reaching the girl and helping her.” Lt. Col. Burqibah said. “This obstacle was the belief of this Asian man who considered that if these men touched his daughter, then this would dishonor her. It cost him the life of his daughter.”
As the family was not acquainted with the rescuers, the father felt it inappropriate for “strange” men to be touching his daughter. The father pushed and pulled at the rescuers and even put up a fight, telling them that “he prefers his daughter being dead than being touched by a strange man.”
With rescuers so nearby, the girl could have had a chance. But the delay in rescue ultimately resulted in her drowning and death. The father meanwhile was arrested and prosecuted for obstructing the rescue team and preventing them from performing their job.
