He made one phone call and hoped for the best. An Arab national got lost in the rugged mountains of Hatta last Saturday. He contacted the Command and Control Centre of Dubai Police and told them his location. But there was one problem , he gave the wrong location.
Despite the wrong initial location, difficult terrain, steep elevations and harsh environmental conditions, Dubai Police activated a large scale search and rescue operation and did not stop until they found him. They did two days later.
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What Happened on the Mountain
The Command and Control Centre received the distress call last Saturday from a man reporting that he was stranded in the mountainous Hatta region. Immediately after the alert, Dubai Police activated a rescue response led by the Brave Team, supported by Hatta Police patrols, the National Ambulance air unit, Dubai Police Air Wing, the Difficult Missions Team from the General Department of Transport and Rescue, National Guard patrols, and paramedics from the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services.
That is six separate teams, all working at the same time. They searched through the night. They searched through the heat of the day. After two days of intensive searching, rescue teams located the missing man and gave him the medical care he needed.
How Dubai Police Made It Possible
This kind of rescue does not happen with torches and radios alone. Hatta Police operates specially equipped patrol vehicles built for rough terrain. These vehicles possess the latest navigation systems, special tyres, modern communication tools directly linked to the Command and Control Centre and a complete set of rescue gear.
The Brave Team also has mechanical extraction equipment, modified four-wheel drive vehicles, LED searchlights, heavy machinery, TETRA communication systems and live-streaming cameras linked to command centres, quad bikes and drones with thermal imaging for night operations.
The thermal drones were crucial. They can spot a human body in the dark from a great height. Without them, a two-day search could easily have become much longer.
This Is Not the First Time
This is also not the first Hatta rescue in recent months. In April 2026, two female tourists got lost on the same mountain trails. They called Dubai Police after they could no longer walk due to total exhaustion. The Brave Team used drones to find their exact position and brought them down using mountain rescue gear.
The mountain is beautiful. It is also unforgiving. More visitors are coming to Hatta every year for hiking, kayaking, and camping. Therefore, the risk of incidents is growing too.
What Dubai Police Wants You to Know?
Brigadier Mubarak Al Ketbi, Director of Hatta Police Station, urged everyone who visit mountains and valleys to stick to marked paths and not stray from designated routes. He also stressed the importance of providing an accurate location when calling for help, as this is the single most important factor in getting a fast response.
If you get into trouble in Hatta, call 999 right away. You can also access the SOS feature on the Dubai Police app. Let them know exactly where you are. Moreover, if you’re not sure where exactly you are, give the GPS coordinates from your phone. Every minute of accuracy saves hours of searching.
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