Out of the thousands taking part in the competition, only a reported 560 people were lucky enough to get their hands on any prizes.
30,000 people search for a hidden treasure in Kuwait's desert
Neither fasting nor the 46-degree heat deterred thousands of Kuwaitis from searching Kuwait’s desert for a hidden treasure over the weekend.
At least 30,000 people spent hours looking for prizes worth $100,000, which were hidden by Kuwaiti TV host Abdullah Al Jasser Aboudka.
Abdouka, who announced the “competition” on his personal Twitter account on Saturday, claims to have hidden the prizes in an area called “Bar Bneider” in southern Kuwait.
A video posted on YouTube showed thousands of people abandoning their cars and rushing across the desert sands to get their hands on the small fortune, much to the dismay of environmentalists and government officials.
The Environment Public Authority (EPA) called in Abdouka for questioning, after accusing him of “destroying the earth’s soil and harming the environment,” seeing as thousands of people were digging into different areas in search of the concealed prizes.
However, Abdouka insisted that his competition aimed at “connecting him with his social media followers and encouraging them to be active.”
Abdouka further explained that he did in no way mean to “overstep the government and its laws or to harm anyone,” adding that this Eid Al-Fitr, he will plant 1200 trees in the same “harmed” location in an effort to make it green again.
Out of the thousands taking part in the competition, only a reported 560 people were lucky enough to get their hands on the prizes hidden by Abdouka.
