Civil Defense officers on Saturday rescued nine Pakistanis on a desert trip to mark Eid Al-Fitr from virtual death after they had lost their way and were running out of petrol, Sabq electronic newspaper reported.

“One of their vehicles got stuck in sand east of Sajir, 270 km from Riyadh, while the other ran out of petrol,” the paper quoted a Civil Defense official as saying. Police found them after a four-hour search covering 800 km inside the desert, it added.

“The condition of the Pakistanis had become worse because of lack of water and food,” the official said. A team of Civil Defense officers in Shaqra, led by Lt. Col. Ghazi Al-Ghazi, took part in the rescue operation.