The father of a 20-year-old woman who drowned in Dubai reportedly stopped lifeguards from helping her.

The unnamed man had said he preferred to let her die rather than be touched by strange men after she got into difficulty on a beach in the city, a senior Dubai official told Emirates 24/7.

Lt Col Ahmed Burqibah, Deputy Director of Dubai Police’s Search and Rescue Department, said the incident had stuck with him.

He said: “The kids were swimming in the beach when suddenly, the 20-year-old girl started drowning and screaming for help.

“Two rescue men were at the beach, and they rushed to help the girl.

“However, there was one obstacle which prevented them from reaching the girl and helping her.

“This obstacle was the belief of this Asian man who considered that if these men touched his daughter, then this would dishonour her. It cost him the life of his daughter.”

According to Lt Col Burqibah, the man became aggressive, physically pulling the rescue men away from the water and said he “prefers his daughter being dead than being touched by a strange man”.

The girl died in the incident but Lt Col Burqibah said she could have been saved as they were “so to her to pull her out of the water” when her father intervened.

The man was later prosecuted for stopping the rescue team from doing its job.