Child left in car for hours dies in RAK

A three-year-old Yemeni boy died in Ras Al Khaimah after his family left him in a car unattended for three hours in 43C heat, UAE daily The National reported on Sunday.

The family returned to their home in RAK at 2 pm after an outing on Friday and found the little boy unconscious in the car three hours later. The child was rushed to Al Dhaid Hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.

Authorities said the cause of death was lack of oxygen.

“Unattended children suffocating inside a car is clear evidence of family negligence and poor judgement of the potential dangers involved,” the daily quoted Maj Gen Nasser Lakhraibani Al Nuaimi, secretary general of the Ministry of Interior and head of the higher committee for child protection as saying.

Dr Fakhri Azzam, a specialist paediatrician at the Medcare Medical Centre at Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai, said: "If a vehicle is parked in direct sunlight, a trapped child can develop life-threatening symptoms within 10 to 20 minutes."

“Because there is lack of ventilation in a closed car, the temperature inside and the temperature of the child can rise very sharply, especially if they are exposed to direct sunlight,” he added.

Dr Azzam has advised parents to take the issue seriously.

“Never leave children alone and always count numbers in your party as you leave your car - make sure you have everyone before you lock it,” he said.

In May 2009, a four-year-old girl died in Abu Dhabi after she was forgotten on a school bus. A similar incident in the capital in 2008 ended with the death of a three-year-old boy.