Five Syrian sailors rescued after six-month ordeal off Jazan coast

RIYADH: The Syrian Embassy in Riyadh helped rescue five Syrian sailors who had been stranded aboard a deteriorating vessel off Saudi Arabia’s Jazan port for six months, coordinating with Saudi authorities to bring them ashore after receiving an emergency distress call.

The crew, including the ship’s captain, endured shortages of food, drinking water and fuel, while also facing harsh weather conditions in the Red Sea.

Captain Walid Mohammad Abu Bakr, a native of Syria’s Arwad Island, told SANA that the vessel’s owner had abandoned the crew, leaving them exposed to difficult and potentially dangerous conditions.

Embassy coordinates with Saudi authorities

The embassy said it received a distress call through its emergency hotline from Abu Bakr, who reported that he and four other Syrian sailors were stranded off Jazan and unable to continue their voyage because…