ABU DHABI // Nizaha Aalaa’s mother was so traumatised at the news of her daughter’s death, she had to be rushed to hospital.
The three-year-old’s family, who are from Kerala, lost their daughter when she was left locked in a school bus on Tuesday.
Nizaha had spent the long Eid weekend playing with her elder sister, Nazaha, 5, and getting henna painted on to her hands – her family said she was very happy.
Relatives and friends flocked to her mother and father’s side to offer their support at the family home in Abu Dhabi yesterday.
“There is a limit for the carelessness of bus drivers and helpers. They don’t have a minute to check who is left inside,” said the girl’s grieving father, Nazir Ahmed, 40.
“It’s beyond imagination, a small child being suffocated to death inside a bus. Some strict actions are needed so that such an incident never happens [again].
“This is sheer negligence of bus staff. As per government instructions they have a maid inside the bus but they don’t do their duties to inspect properly and making sure that every child disembarked from the bus,” Mr Ahmed said.
“Previously similar incidents occurred [on school buses]. What actions were taken to avoid such horrible accidents?” Mr Ahmed said.
Relatives said they thought part of the problem was that school and school transport had become pure money-making enterprises.
“It is very common for small children to fall asleep, but it is the duty of bus supervisors to take care of them,” said the girl’s grandfather, Asghar Ali. “It doesn’t take a minute to inspect the bus.”
Mr Ali said he had heard about similar incidents in the past.
“This is the duty of class teacher to inform or text parents if they fail to appear in the class and the teacher didn’t receive any text from parents of his or her sickness,” Mr Ali said. “This is a business ... only to take money. Life should be respected. [To] think a small child dies of suffocation inside a locked bus – it’s shameful.”
He said he had been told that the bus driver and maid were in jail and the body of the child was kept in the morgue at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City hospital.
A funeral will be performed once all investigations are over.
Ansar Ahmed, the girl’s uncle, who came from Dubai to spend Eid with his brother in Abu Dhabi, said: “The bus staff saved their one minute, but lost one life. It consumes less than a minute to inspect a small bus,” he said.
“My brother’s wife fell sick after hearing the news and was admitted to the hospital Tuesday. She was weeping incessantly and again visited the doctor on Wednesday,” Mr Ahmed said.
Naseer Babo, another uncle, also came from Dubai when he heard the painful news.
“Her mother refuses to eat anything, that’s why she fell sick. She is highly shocked,” Mr Babo said, whose eyes were full of tears.
So far, the family have not yet decided on a course of action.
“Law is strict in the country but these people don’t follow them, that’s why such horrific accidents happen,” Mr Babo said.
“We don’t want such a thing to happen to anybody again,” he said.
“She was a very active and beautiful child.”
anwar@thenational.ae
