Written by Laura Parnaby, Dailymail.Com
Updated December 28, 2023 13:11, December 28, 2023 17:58
A Singaporean tourist has shared an emotional video of rescue workers scrambling to save his dying wife after she fell off a cliff in upstate New York.
Dr. Noor Aisha Binte Akbar, 39, was hiking on the Beacon Hill Trail with her husband Abdul Rauf bin Mohd Saeed, 41, on the Friday before Christmas when she crashed into a cliff while taking photos. He fell and suffered fatal injuries.
New York State Police said the couple “stopped to take a photo at the edge of a cliff” when Akbar “lost his footing and fell approximately 70 feet.”
Saeed called 911 and state police Ellenville troopers were dispatched to the popular hiking trail in Minnewaska State Park near the town of Rochester around 1:06 p.m., officials said.
Two days later, Saeed shared an emotional video of his final moments on Facebook. Said shoots from the edge of a cliff and zooms in on people approaching his wife, whose body is visible through a screen of foliage.
As the camera shakes, Mr. Said can be heard sobbing violently and can be heard shouting at responding personnel. The members are only partially visible and appear to be civilians or paramedics.
‘thank you. is she still alive? Saeed asks them. One woman yelled back, “She’s her!” Said cried aloud as he continued to film the carnage.
I yelled at them, “Can you tell me what’s going on?” Someone inaudibly replied, “Thank you!” The video ends with responders covering Akbar’s legs and torso with coats.
Syed also posted a second video of a FaceTime call between himself and three women who responded to the scene. He asks them what his wife’s last words were.
“She told us her name, said she had two dogs and wanted some sweet tea,” one of the women said.
Another woman said she told him she was on vacation and thanked him multiple times. She added that Akbar felt little pain throughout her ordeal and they held her hand to keep her warm.
NYSP Aviation used a helicopter to pull Mr. Akbar to safety and transport him to Ellenville Regional Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
On December 23, Mr. Said posted a heartbreaking tribute to his “wife, best friend, and soulmate” on his Instagram account. He described the terrifying ordeal and said medical workers tried to resuscitate Mr Akbar for three hours.
Said’s eulogy for Akbar reads: “My heart is broken into pieces and I don’t know how to put it back together.”
“I’ve been crying for the last 12 hours and I’m really distraught with myself right now. You are my wife, best friend, and soulmate.
“I don’t know what this challenge from the Almighty is about. But I wrote this post so that you can give your friends and family some closure and information.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get back to you in time.”
Noor Aisha, also known as Aisha, slipped and fell off a cliff at Minnewaska State Park. She fell from a height of about 100 feet and she did not survive.
“Medical staff tried to resuscitate her for nearly three hours but were unsuccessful.
“All those who knew her, please pray for her and may Allah place her among the pious and Jannatul Firdaus.”
“If she owes anything to anyone, please contact me privately.”
Said has one photo of his wife smiling from an earlier hike, wearing a woolen hat and winter coat, and another smiling broadly, wearing a jewel-encrusted white scarf. shared a photo.
Several agencies responded to this tragic incident, including NYS Park Police, park operations staff, NYS DEC forest rangers, and various fire and emergency personnel.
New York State Police said the circumstances leading to her death are still under investigation.