Dubai: The police helicopter rescue team was called out several times in the past two days to rescue people stranded in the desert and help accident victims.

The first incident was on Thursday when the Dubai Police control and command centre received a call from a woman saying she and her family were lost in the Mahafez Desert near Sharjah.

She said their car was stuck in the sand and her husband did not know where they were.

The helicopter team led by Capt Pilot Ali Al Muhairi and Capt Pilot Ahmad Al Merri, searched the desert area until they found the expatriate family. They had gone to the desert for a family excursion.

The helicopter landed and the crew helped dig out the family's car with the help of a Sharjah Police patrol.

Al Muhairi said the family had been lost since 9am. "The children were exhausted and thirsty," he said.

Just as the helicopter was returning to base, it received a report of an accident in the Al Badayer tourist area in Sharjah. The team again searched the area and found the scene of the accident.

"The accident victim was suffering from minor injuries. The paramedics gave him first aid and guided Sharjah Police patrols to the scene," Al Muhairi said.

After midnight, the air wing crew were called to transfer a motorist who was seriously injured in a road accident on Al Manama Road to Rashid Hospital.

Then at 6am on Friday the air wing crew were again called to another accident scene, on Al Kasarat Road leading to Emirates Road. They transferred the victim, who had sustained moderate injuries, to Rashid Hospital.