THE Bolton family of a man killed in a tragic jet ski crash in the Middle East have flown out to attend his funeral.

Mubin Patel, aged 26, died instantly when his jet-ski collided with another jet-ski in the emirate of Sharjah, 30 miles north of Dubai, on Thursday.

His mother, brother and sister, who live in Nottingham Drive in Halliwell, flew out to the United Arab Emirates on Friday.

A family relative said they were struggling to come to terms with the loss.

She said: “They are surviving. Imagine how it feels to lose a 26-year-old son or brother. When it’s a tragic death it’s not easy to take.”

Mr Patel had been living in the United Arab Emirates while working for airline Emirates as a member of cabin crew. He had worked with the company for the past three years.

It is understood he had been on a stopover, waiting for a flight, when he decided to try the watersport.

He was on a jet ski in the popular Al Mamzar beach park when he crashed into another rider, a 29-year-old German man.

Police told local journalists that a rescue unit and ambulance were dispatched immediately to the scene of the accident, but Mr Patel had already died.

The German man suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital.

It is understood Mr Patel used to attend Islamic independent school Darul Uloom Bolton in Deane for classes, and would also go to Taiyabah Masjid and Islamic Centre in Blackburn Road.

A Foreign Office spokesman told The Bolton News: “We can confirm the death of a British national in Sharjah on May 8 and we are providing consular assistance to the family at this sad time.”