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Organizers show video footage of rescue efforts made in fatal boat racing accident

With reporting from Sowmya Sundar

Following an internal investigation, the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) has asserted that timely rescue efforts were indeed made during a pleasure boat racing accident that resulted in the death of Rashid Abullah al-Mansouri nearly two weeks ago.

Initial reports said coast guard divers immediately rushed to bring the 34-year-old Qatari man to shore after his boat hit a wave and flipped several times, but al-Mansouri’s sailing partner and other witnesses said official efforts were limited and late, due in part to an absence of a professional rescue team onsite.

However, citing footage taken during the accident, Khalid bin Arhama al-Kuwari, a QMSF board member and Head of Pleasure Boats, Pro Class and Formula One Racing, told Doha News: “The reports are untrue and we have evidence to prove it."

'It was a question of saving someone's life'

According to a QMSF review of footage taken from four videocameras stationed at Katara during the event, two Coast Guard boats reached al-Mansouri in less than a minute. However, the racer was taken to shore on the boat of a Kuwaiti competitor.

That was done for expediency's sake, Al-Kuwari told reporters during a press conference yesterday, adding that six Red Crescent rescue personnel accompanied al-Mansouri to shore on the competitor's boat.

“It was a question of saving someone’s life and we cannot say, ‘you cannot take him on his boat (Kuwait driver’s boat), shift him to the Qatar Red Crescent boat,’ ” the Peninsula reports him as saying.

Al-Kuwari also said that three rescue boats were present during the racing event.

Stressing that the accident was caused by speeding and lack of control over the boat, al-Kuwari added that QMSF will seek to reduce speed limits in future races.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Aju on Twitter

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Witnesses criticize rescue measures in death of Qatari boat racer

Witnesses and friends of fallen Qatari pleasure boat racer Rashid Abullah al-Mansouri are disputing officials' account of rescue efforts made after his vessel crashed into a hard wave and flipped in the air.

Initial reports said coast guard divers immediately rushed to bring him to shore, but al-Mansouri's sailing partner and other witnesses say official efforts were limited and late.

Hamad Jassim al-Zayed al-Mutawa, who was in the boat with al-Mansouri, told the Peninsula that there was no on-site rescue team, and confirmed it was racers from Kuwait who pulled him from the water:

“The Kuwaiti racers were near us and rushed to save Rashid. They took him out of the water but he had already died.

“There was only one ambulance on the beach. There should have been a specialist rescue team in the water.” 

The incident occurred at Katara beach during the third round of Qatar Marine Sports Federation's Pro Class & Pleasure Boats Local Championship.

In a comment left on Doha News, one witness said official response time was sluggish:

The coast guard didn't rush to the spot. They left at least 10 minutes late. The driver was eventually brought to the shore on another competitor's boat. The Red Cresecent guys were pumping the driver's chest for close to 20 minutes.

A similar account of the incident was also shared on a local Arabic radio station.

QMSF officials, meanwhile, have pledged to support the boat racer's family "in every possible way." 

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo of al-Mansouri via Gulf Times. Arabic radio mp3 link via Osama Alassiry

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The Qatar Marine Sports Federation called off the rest of yesterday's Pro Class & Pleasure Boats Local Championship following the death of Rashid Abullah al Mansouri, a Qatari who was killed in the third round of yesterday's competition.

Al Mansouri, whose death was first reported by Doha Stadium Plus on Twitter yesterday, may be the first local to have died in a sports-related accident here.

According to Qatar Tribune, Al Mansouri and co-rider Hamad Jassim Al Mutawa's boat hit a big wave and flipped several times before crashing into the water.

The newspaper continues:

The boat of the coastal guards with divers immediately rushed to the spot and brought the two drivers ashore. The Red Cross team tried to pump Mansouri’s heart. But the impact of the accident was so severe that Mansouri’s neck had broken under the boat, causing him to die with internal bleeding...

Khalid bin Arhama al Kuwari, the QMSF’s Pleasure Boat Racing head, expressed his deep grief over the unfortunate accident. “It was really a sad and tragic day for us. We have raced in even tougher conditions but nothing like this happened before. 

Other local English and Arabic-language newspapers reported that Al Mansouri died of head wounds, and that co-rider Al Mutawa sustained a thigh injury.

Al Sharq adds that Al Mansouri was born in 1979 and was married with four children.

Thoughts?

Credit: Image courtesy of Al Sharq