Ahmed Adel (inset) collapsed at a construction site in the UAE's Central Region. SUPPLIED

An Egyptian worker who travelled to the UAE in hopes of supporting his family died on his first day of work, only three days after arriving in the country. The deceased, identified as 31-year-old Ahmed Adel from Alexandria, collapsed at a construction site in the Central Region last Sunday. Co-workers initially suspected heatstroke, but a coroner later confirmed he had died from sudden cardiac arrest. Adel, a father of two young boys aged four and 18 months, had been struggling financially after the collapse of his grocery business in Egypt. Determined to provide for his family, he accepted a job in the emirates. “He didn’t even get the chance to settle in. He worked one day, and on that day, he died,” his cousin, Ibrahim Mahrous, told Al Watan newspaper. Relatives said Adel reassured his family upon arrival but admitted privately that he was exhausted from the demanding work. His cousin recalled: “He told that he was tired and wanted to look for something else. But fate did not give him the chance.” The tragedy has left his family devastated. His father, already grieving the loss of his wife three years ago, struggled to process the sudden death of his only son. Adel’s wife described the heartbreaking phone call as “a shock that crushed the whole family.” Adel’s body has been repatriated to Alexandria where he was buried in the family plot. Neighbours and relatives gathered to pay respects, remembering him as a former bodybuilding champion with no history of chronic illness, smoking, or addiction. ICA/Expat Media
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