One man is still missing after large waves swept five workers into the sea from the Palm Island development in Dubai. The waves, caused by a combination of strong winds and high tides, hit the beaches of the UAE today despite a forecast of fine weather. Police are still searching for the worker around the artificial islands, but they believe he has already died. "We suspect that the victim's body has been trapped somewhere between tiny islands surrounding the main island. Divers are searching for the missing worker guided by the four workers who were hit by the wave," a police source said. The remaining four workers were able to save themselves and swim to safety. The accident happened as offshore waves reached more than 4 metres in height. The weather was made worse by high winds, which were clocked at speeds of up to 30 knots by Dubai Meteorological Office. The Gulf Coast also witnessed the highest tide for months, in which water went several metres further than normal up the shore. A source from the met office said the winds picked up offshore from the north-west at about 7.30am. Dubai Police sources said that a fishing boat in Jumeirah also went missing with an unspecified number of crew onboard. Police rescue teams are searching for the missing boat and crew. Sharjah experienced its highest tide at 12.30pm and Port Rashid at 12.20pm. Many worried residents and shop keepers were thinking of evacuating their premises, but civil defence and police officers said there was no need to panic.
The sea swept over beaches and reached the road in some parts of Ajman and Sharjah. Residents said fish and debris were left lying around. According to Dubai Meteorological Office, the next low tide will be at 8.10pm. Strong northerly winds, known as shamal, started at 7am and will continue tonight, tomorrow and the day after. Wave heights offshore will be 3.5 to 4 metres and near the coast will be 1.5 to 2 metres. Even when the tides go down, however the waves will still be high. The next high tide will be at 2.30am - Gulf News MORE ON HIGH WAVES.... DUBAI - 11 January 2005 - High waves of upto six feet crashed over breakwaters at various places in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah, today, flooding some roads and disrupting life along the coastal belt. Panicked residents were on tenterhooks since morning, worried as to whether another tsunami was building up, but the weather office brushed aside such fears. The waves also hit a number of private properties and hotels along the seaside, but the damage has been reported to be very negligible. The rough seas are a direct result of the strong winds, of up to 40 knots, being experienced in the Gulf region. Experts told Khaleej Times that a high tide coupled with such strong wind conditions can lead to such rough sea conditions, but they posed no threat to any structures on the seaside. The sea conditions offshore are severe with swells of up to 16 feet, while waves of six feet have been reported from most areas. The hazardous conditions prompted the concerned meteorological offices in various emirates to issue marine warnings, and instructing fishermen and leisure boat operators not to venture out into the open water. The weather conditions are likely to prevail till evening, and a chance of rainshowers has also been forecast for the next eight-ten hours. The strong Shamal that established in the Southern Gulf is likely to ease by evening, and wind conditions are expected to weaken to 10 knots. --- Khaleej Times __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
