Two men die in the dangerous Empty Quarter of the Saudi Arabian desert after losing GPS signal
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An Indian and his Sudanese colleague died of exhaustion and dehydration after getting lost in the desert of Saudi Arabia.
Mohammad Shehzad Khan, 27, from the southern Indian state of Telangana and his colleague got lost in the Rub al-Khali desert after their GPS signal failed, NDTV reported.
They were reportedly stranded in the desolate and dangerous Empty Quarter of the desert, one of the most dangerous regions in the world.
After Shehzad’s phone battery died and their vehicle ran out of gas, they were left without food or water. And despite their best efforts to survive in the harsh desert environment, they succumbed to hunger and dehydration.
Their bodies were found buried under sand dunes next to their vehicle on August 22, four days after they were last heard from.
Khan and his Sudanese colleague, whose name is not known, had worked for a telecommunications company in Saudi Arabia for three years.
The world’s largest sand desert, Rub al-Khali stretches over 650 km and is notorious for its extreme climate. Annual rainfall in the region is less than 50 mm, making it one of the most inhospitable places on Earth.
The desert is mainly accessed via Highway 10 in Saudi Arabia, the longest straight road in the world and a journey of around two hours, from Haradh to Al Batha, near the border with the United Arab Emirates. The modern highway, which runs directly through Rub al Khali, traverses some of the most dangerous landscapes in the world.
