A drowning woman in Dubai was refused rescue by her dad, who didn’t want strange men touching her, say reports.

The father of a 20-year-old woman let her drown while swimming in a Dubai beach rather than allowing lifeguards to save her, because they were “strange”.

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“Two rescue men were at the beach and they rushed to help the girl,” Dubai search and rescue director Ahmed Burqibah told Emirates 24/7.

“[The man] considered that if these men touched his daughter, then this would dishonour her. It cost him the life of his daughter.”

“This is one of the incidents which I cannot forget.”

He said that the father, who was physically big, fought with the rescuers to stop them from getting to his daughter.

“There was one obstacle which prevented them from reaching the girl and helping her,” Burqibah continued.

“The father was a strong and tall man. He started pulling and preventing the rescue men and got violent with them. He told them that he prefers his daughter being dead than being touched by a strange man.”

The man was subsequently arrested by Dubai Police for stopping the rescue team from saving the girl’s life and doing their job.