Telangana NRI dies of dehydration in Saudi Arabia’s desert; body found on prayer rug

The tragic indent occurred when Mohammed Shahzad Khan lost the GPS signal and soon after, ran out of battery on his mobile phone and then of fuel in his vehicle, leaving him stuck in the desert for nearly four days.

Hyderabad: A Telangana NRI died, reportedly of dehydration and exhaustion under the blazing sun after losing his way in Saudi Arabia’s vast southern desert, known as Empty Quarter or Rub Al-Khali in the eastern province.

The tragic indent occurred when he reportedly lost the GPS signal and soon after, ran out of battery on his mobile phone and then of fuel in his vehicle, leaving him stuck in the desert for nearly four days. His body, along with that of his colleague, was found on a prayer rug in the sand dunes next to their car on Thursday.

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The heart-rending scene of the bodies lying on the prayer rug indicated that they had lost hope of survival and were praying while preparing to die. The NRI was working in Saudi Arabia for the last three years in a telecommunication maintenance company, according to sources. He was on the job along with his colleague, a Sudanese national, on the day the two lost their way in the desert.

Covering 650 kilometres, Rub Al-Khali is one of the most desolate and dangerous deserts of the world. It sprawls across in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia near Hofuf along with Riyadh, Najran provinces in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen.

The breakdown of cars, losing mobile signals and other navigation difficulties under the scorching sun in vast deserts has often led to dehydration and subsequently death. In the past, skeletons of men including Indians were found, after they lost way in the deadly terrain.