4 young Saudis lost in sea; hunt launched

DAMMAM: Border Guard patrols in the Eastern Province (EP) have stepped up efforts to find a group of four young Saudi’s lost at sea, after the Border Patrol in Qatif received a communication about the failure of an excursion boat to return on time, said Captain Omar Al-Aklabi, spokesman for the Border Guard.
Al-Aklabi said: “The marine border guard patrols and search and rescue teams immediately headed to the site after receiving a communication about the accident. The border and coast guards in the neighboring states were informed to contribute to the search operations.”
He said: “There is a direct coordination between the Border Guard and their counterparts in the neighboring countries as search and rescue operations always require speed to save people’s lives,” he said.
The young Saudi men sailed from the city of Saihat, heading out on an excursion with their boat, after obtaining permission from the sailing center to rent the boat for 24 hours from Wednesday to Thursday evening. When they did not return the boat on time, an alarm was raised about them.