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10 Pak picnickers drown in sea in UAE

DUBAI: A Pakistani youth survived for six days adrift in the Gulf with only two empty barrels to cling on to, after he watched 10 of his friends drown in an ill-fated picnic trip, a newspaper reported on Thursday.

The 18-year-old man, who gave his name, only as Shafee, was rescued on Wednesday by coast guards from Fujairah, in the north of the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf Today said.

He was part of a group of 11 friends who set out in a motorboat for a midsea picnic. But the boat ran out of fuel and strong wings below them further out to sea where the vessel was torn in two.

"He said he watched all of his friends drown one after the other," before being spotted by an Indian gas tanker heading for Fujairah, the daily said.ÑAFP