Kerala boy in UAE falls asleep in school bus, dies: report

Dubai: A six-year-old Indian boy was found dead after he dozed off in his school bus and left behind alone for several hours in the UAE on Saturday, according to a media report.

Mohamed Farhan Faisal, who hailed from Kerala, was a student of Islamic Centre in Al Quoz and had dozed off after boarding the bus. He was left behind after all other students disembarked outside the centre at 8 am, the Khaleej Times reported.

The Dubai Police said that they were notified of the tragedy at 3 pm.

"The child was found as the driver took the bus out to drop the students back home," a senior police official was quoted as saying by the paper. Farhan was the youngest of three children and had joined the centre earlier this year. His parents are long-time residents of Dubai and the family resides in Karama.

His father Faisal runs multiple businesses in Dubai and Kerala, the paper reported. "I had met the family during a get-together just last week. He was such a bright boy. His parents are in a state of shock," said a close family member, who requested not to be named. After the initial investigation, the body was shifted to the forensic department at 6 pm for an autopsy. "The mortal remains will be handed over to the family after all legal and administrative procedures have been completed," the official said.

The UAE has witnessed similar cases earlier as well. In 2014, a KG1 student at Abu Dhabi's Al Worood Academy Private School, Nizaha Ala'a, suffocated to death after being forgotten inside a bus. The news had shocked the nation and sparked a major discussion on child safety in buses. Last year, another KG1 student was forgotten inside a school for over four hours. Fortunately, the child survived, the paper reported.