Lulu group chairman Yusuff Ali undergoes spinal surgery in UAE

NRI businessman and Lulu group chairman M A Yusuff Ali, who had a miraculous escape on April 11 after his helicopter crash-landed on marshy land in Kochi, has undergone a spinal surgery at a hospital in Abu Dhabi, the company said.

It said Yusuff Ali underwent the surgery at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

"An expert team of 25 doctors led by renowned German neurosurgeon Prof Dr Shawarbi performed the surgery and Yusuff Ali is recovering well in the hospital," the Lulu group said in the statement issued on Thursday night.

The Gulf-based Indian businessman, who suffered injuries in the crash-landing, had returned to Abu Dhabi on Monday by a special aircraft sent by the Royal Family there.

Yusuff Ali, his wife, two other passengers and two pilots were shifted to a hospital in Kochi immediately after their helicopter crash-landed on marshy land amid heavy rain on April 11.

The incident occurred at Panangad at around 9 am while Yusuff Ali was on a short trip from his home in Kochi to visit a relative at a nearby hospital.

Ali's Abu Dhabi-based Lulu group, that owns Lulu Hypermarkets and shopping malls, is one of the top retailers in the Middle East and North African region (MENA).

It has more than 200 hypermarkets and supermarkets in Gulf countries, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and employs over 58,000 people from various countries and has logistics centres in the US, the UK, Spain, South Africa, the Philippines and Thailand.

Yusuff Ali, billed as the most influential Indian in the Middle East, was recently ranked in the Forbes billionaires list 2021 as the richest Indian in the Middle East.