Abu Dhabi, Apr 9 (7days) : A motorist spent four hours clinging to a pipe when he plunged into a 25-metre well after setting out in search of help to free his car that was stuck in the desert.

The 34-year-old fell into the well at 3am on Sunday morning. A farm worker eventually heard his cries for help at 7am and he was rescued by a team of police officers.

Abu Dhabi Police said on Tuesday that the man was driving off-road near agricultural land when his vehicle got stuck in the sand.

The motorist, originally from France, left the car in the dunes in Al Khuraima area. Lieutenant Colonel Hamid Al Afari, director of Bani Yas Police station in Abu Dhabi, said: “The Frenchman wandered off to look for a wooden plank to use as a lever after his car got stuck in the sand.

“He walked onto a private farm between Al Ain and Abu Dhabi City, which was fenced with barbed wire. He then fell down the well, which was filled with 5m of water.”

The well was for agricultural use and belonged to a local farmer who used it to store water for irrigating his land.
Police said the motorist was only discovered because the farm worker heard his cry for help.

Al Afari said rescue teams, including civil defence, ambulance and patrol vehicles, were sent to the scene to rescue the trapped man.

“He had managed to stay above water by holding onto a pipe,” said the officer. Rescuers pulled him from the hole
and transferred him to Mafraq Hospital, where he was reported as being in a stable condition.

Police have urged people to immediately call 999 if their cars get stuck in the sand – and not to wander in the desert.