Cairo: Rescuers have saved seven members of a family after their vehicle was stuck in the Saudi desert for about 30 hours.
The rescue team located the family in the Dahna desert, about 65km off the asphalt road, after a coordinated search effort. A family member, who had walked approximately 25 km desperately seeking help, was found and led rescuers to the others.
The team documented the moment the pedestrian was found in an online video.
Mohammed Al Harbi, one of the rescuers, explained that the operation began after receiving a report about a missing family on an outing in the Dahna area. Security authorities and rescue teams, with 45 vehicles and drones, began the search.
“The search extended over 80km and lasted many hours. At 10pm, we spotted a searchlight in the distance. It turned out to be a family member who had been walking for hours and looked exhausted,” Al Harbi told Saudi television Al Ekhbariya.
The rest of the family, found stressed and out of water, were suffering from extreme cold, especially the children. Rescuers freed the vehicle from the sand and transported the family to safety.
The entire operation took about 20 hours from the time the report was received, according to the rescuers.
