DUBAI, 4 June 2008 — Sheikh Nasser bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the brother of the United Arab Emirates president, died when his helicopter crashed off the Gulf coast, the official WAM news agency said yesterday.
Sheikh Nasser died when the helicopter, which was carrying him and his colleagues, crashed over the Gulf in the late hours of Monday, WAM said. The crash killed several of Sheikh Nasser’s colleagues, the agency added. Officials declined to immediately say what caused the crash or how many people were on the aircraft.
The Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced a three-day mourning from today. Sheikh Nasser did not hold public office and there will be no closure of public or private sector institutions during the official mourning, an official said.
Sheikh Nasser was the brother of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the president of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi emirate. He was the son of Sheikh Zayed, the UAE’s first president who is widely regarded as its founding father.
