RIYADH: An Indian student who came to Riyadh on holiday to visit his parents drowned in a stream while playing with friends in a valley outside Riyadh on Tuesday.
A Civil Defense official, who took part in the rescue operation, said Mohammed Jazeel, an 18-year-old engineering student, slipped into the water while playing close by.
The stream is at least 12 feet deep.
The official added that the student was wearing the same clothes and shoes that he had on when he left home. Officials ruled out any foul play.
Jazeel, who previously studied at the International Indian School, Riyadh, left the Kingdom last year to pursue higher studies in India.
Jazeel’s father, C.M. Kunji, works as regional manager of Arabian Food Services Co. and his mother, Jameela, is a housewife. His sister, Jawsha, is in Grade 8 at the Indian school. The family is from Kasargode district of the south Indian state of Kerala.
Kunji said he initially refused his son permission to go on the trip. “I had to subsequently give in considering his maturity and his eagerness to enjoy his holidays with friends,” he said.
Jazeel’s body, which is presently at a morgue in the Riyadh Medical Complex, will be flown to India as soon as the formalities are completed.
A large number of people visited the family to offer their condolences. Kunji is a well-known social worker in Riyadh.
