A trip into the Rub' al Khali desert of Saudi Arabia cost Mohammad Shehzad Khan his life as he died of dehydration and exhaustion.
The 27-year-old from Telangana's Karimnagar found himself stranded in the desolate Empty Quarter part of the desert, one of the world's most dangerous regions. Shehzad had been working in Saudi Arabia for three years with a telecommunications company, reported NDTV.
The Empty Quarter is a part of the Rub' al Khali desert in Saudi Arabia which is notorious for its harsh conditions. The perilous desert has an estimated area of about 6,50,000 square kilometres and spans across the country's southern regions including Yemen, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
Tragedy struck when the Indian expat, along with his Sudanese national lost his way after their GPS signal led them astray. To make matters worse, Shehzad's mobile ran out of battery making the duo unable to reach out for help.
Their vehicle also ran out of fuel leaving them stranded without food or water in the desert's scorching heat.
The two struggled to survive but the extreme temperatures proved too much and they fell victim to dehydration and exhaustion.
Four days later on Thursday, their bodies were discovered, lying next to their vehicle in the sand dunes.
The Saudi police launched a search operation after being informed by the telecom company that the two employees had gone incommunicado, reported Deccan Chronicle. The family members have requested the government to repatriate the mortal remains of Shehzad back to India.
In 2017, an Indian shepherd's decomposed body was spotted in the desert on February 1, 2016, 8 months after he died, as per a Saudi Gazette report.
Mannela Ramulu, a native of Medak district in Telangana had come to work in Qassim but ended up working as a shepherd in a desert area.
His decomposed body was found by an African shepherd who then informed the police.