Indian schoolgirl suffocates to death in school bus in UAE

Dubai: A 4-year-old Indian schoolgirl died after she fell asleep inside a bus and left alone for several hours by the driver and the bus supervisor in UAE's capital Abu Dhabi.

Naziha Lal Ahmed, KG1 student of a private Al Worood school, was found dead yesterday after she apparently suffocated inside the locked bus on a hot day at the end of the school day, emirates247 reported on Wednesday.

The incident has left her family and school in shock and grief, raising concerns about the safety of children using these services.

"The bus driver and supervisor are principally responsible for the child's death. The rules we have set are very clear and they are intended to upgrade safety on school buses," Abu Dhabi traffic police chief Brigadier Hussein Al Harthi was quoted as saying by Arabic daily Al Ittihad as saying.

The girl's grandfather, Asghar Ali, said that Naziha got on the school bus around 6.30 am and that the family received a phone call from the school management around 12.30 pm.

"I can tell you that we lost our granddaughter because of negligence and a grave mistake by persons who are supposed to look after school children, not leaving them to die inside buses," Asghar Ali told the paper.

Girl's father Naseer Ahmad is from Coorg in Karnataka and his wife is from Kannur district in Kerala.

"We offer our condolences to the family of the pupil and will be taking the necessary administrative action if any negligence is proven," Hamad Al Dhaheri, Executive Director of Private School Sector at the Abu Dhabi Education Council said.