The friends of a missing student from American University have raised over $50,000 to help fund the search for him in the Persian Gulf, Fox News reported.
Adel Ait-Ghezala, a 35-year-old doctoral student in Washington, D.C. and experienced diver, has been missing since Wednesday after diving with his wife, Rana, and friends the off coast of Dubai. He reportedly separated from the group while spearfishing.
While he was spearfishing, he was only wearing a wetsuit, flippers, googles, and specialized watch.
Abdullah Al-Arian, a family friend, said on Monday that the $55,340 was raised in two days through crowd-funding website Indiegogo. The money will be spent on volunteers to charter boats and helicopters for a broad search.
"The $50,0000 raised will pay for 2 solid days of searches by these private businesses who are ready to commit their time to the search.
If there are any unused funds, they will be used to reimburse the family for logistical expenses directly related to the search and rescue effort, and any funds remaining after that will be donated to a charity," their Indiegogo campaign said.
Possible theories are that Adel was distanced from the boat by a current and/or found his way to one of the small islands nearby.
Ahmed, Ait-Ghezala's brother, said the Dubai authorities are "doing their utmost to find Adel."
"On behalf of Adel and his entire family and his friends, thank you for your generous support. We hope to have him home very soon, thanks in large part to you," the website said.
