Telangana man found dead on prayer rug in Saudi Arabia desert

A 27-year-old Indian national from the southern state of Telangana and his Sudanese colleague died of dehydration and exhaustion in Saudi Arabia's Rub' al Khali desert.

The Indian national has been identified as Mohammad Shehzad Khan. He was a resident of Karimnagar, about 174 km from Hyderabad or over 1,400 km south of New Delhi.

Khan was working in Saudi Arabia for three years with a telecommunications company. Khan and his colleague found themselves stranded in the desolate and perilous Empty Quarter part of the desert, one of the most dangerous regions in the world.

Stretching over 650,000 square kilometres, the Rubʿ al-Khali is the largest area of continuous sand in the world. The Rub' al-Khali is reported to be virtually uninhabited and largely unexplored. During the daytime, temperatures can soar as high as 55 degrees Celsius.

The region is notorious for its harsh conditions and spans across Saudi Arabia's southern regions and neighbouring countries.

What happened?

The incident unfolded when Khan along with a Sudanese national, lost his way after their GPS signal failed.

The Karimnagar resident's mobile phone battery died and the duo were unable to call for help.

Their vehicle ran out of fuel and they were left stranded without food or water in the desert's scorching heat.

Also watch |Saudi Arabia: Indian national on death row in Saudi jail to be freed

The two fought for survival in extremely high temperatures that went to extreme levels. But both of them died due to severe dehydration and exhaustion.

According to Telangana Today, their bodies were discovered on the prayer rug, indicating that they had given up hope of survival and were praying as they prepared to die.

The duo's bodies were discovered on Thursday, four days later, lying next to their vehicle in the dunes.

(With inputs from agencies)