Jeddah, July 21: The body of 18-year-old Fatima was found on Monday south of the area where she disappeared on July 9.
“The body was found stuck in the rocks at a location the team of divers had earlier examined one kilometer to the south of the beach where she went down,” Border Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Nassir Al-Shahri, told Arab News. The Saudi Border Guard also acts as the coast guard.
The circumstances that led to Fatima’s drowning are unclear. Authorities think she either went wading into the water or fell. There are numerous signs in the area warning against swimming due to the currents and proximity of an underwater sewage-output pipe. Fatima was picnicking with her father and siblings to celebrate completing her final exams.
Search operations have been going on every day since the young woman’s disappearance. Authorities believe the body may have followed the prevailing current out to sea due to the sewage output pipe and then drifted back to shore further down the coast.
“The sewage pipe is close to the place where she was standing at the time of the accident,” the officer said.
He added that the body would be returned to relatives after the completion of the legal and forensics formalities, including authorizing the body’s identification.
According to a source at King Fahd Hospital where the body is being kept, the body is in a state of decomposition and would be returned to the family as soon as possible for burial in accordance to Islamic rules.
More than 60 rescuers participated in yesterday’s recovery operation. Several boats and a helicopter were seen near the location where the body was brought up from the rocky sea floor.
“No one should swim in sea at location marked as dangerous,” said Al-Shahri. “The Jeddah Corniche has plenty of treacherous spots, with rocks just below the surface, undercurrents and uneven seafloors, as well as the sewage.”
—-Agencies