Two Filipinos suffocate in car during floods in Sharjah

Two people suffocated in their car in Sharjah on Tuesday during the stormy weather that brought most of the country to a standstill.

The incident happened after they became trapped in their car as they travelled to their homes in Sharjah.

Maj Gen Saif Al Shamsi, commander-in-chief of Sharjah Police, told The National, the two were travelling along Al Wahda Street when their vehicle became stuck in a traffic jam caused by the flooding.

They were with two others who were able to leave the car to assess the level of traffic, he said.

“At this time, the vehicle was completely sealed, which unfortunately led to the accumulation of carbon monoxide from the running air conditioning unit” he said.

“The autopsy confirmed their death was due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

“Despite efforts from police and ambulance teams to reach them quickly, the workers were found dead.”

A third Filipino is reported to have died in the floods, according to a post on social media platform X by a senior figure from the Philippines' Department of Migrant Workers.

“With extreme sadness, we report the death of three OFWs [Overseas Filipino Workers] during the flooding in UAE,” wrote Hans Cacdac, undersecretary for the Department of Migrant Workers, on Thursday.

“Two OFWs died due to suffocation inside their vehicle during the flood.

“One other OFW died due to a vehicular accident. We shall provide utmost support and assistance to their families.”

An Emirati man in his 70s also died during flash floods on Tuesday in Ras Al Khaimah.

The man was killed when his vehicle was swept away by strong currents during treacherous weather, which dumped record levels of rainfall across the UAE.