Starving man found in Ras Al-Khaimah mountains

MOUNTAIN BARRIER: The UAE's highest point is Jabal Yibir on the Ras Al-Khaimah-Oman border. (Getty Images)

A man has been discovered starving and close to death in the Ras Al-Khaimah mountains after crossing into the country illegally, the UAE daily The National reported on Monday.

The Asian man had been lost for days before he was found, the paper quoted Lt Col Saeed Al-Yamahi, the head of RAK Police Aviation section, as saying.

"We got a tip from a passenger plane pilot that there was a person stuck in the mountains in the morning [yesterday]," Lt Col Yamahi said.

Rescuers surveyed the remote area from the air and spotted the man within 30 minutes, the paper said. Officials believe he entered the country from Oman although police have not established how long the man had been in the country.

He was treated for dehydration and heat-related sickness before being transferred to hospital, it said. There was no word on his condition.

Lt Col Yamahi said the man would be referred to public prosecutors and was expected to appear in court to answer charges of illegal entry once his heath improved.

The paper said a police source involved in the rescue confirmed the man was close to death when he was found: "Our doctor said if we had not picked him up for another day, he would have died. He couldn't walk or talk."

Lt Col Yamahi said the case was the second of its type recently. "The mountains are not safe, it's not right for someone to walk such long distances in isolated areas, this craziness should stop."

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