Dubai: A four-year-old boy drowned in the Dubai Marina area after he slipped away from his mother and went through the metal rails, police confirmed on Saturday.
The horrified mother could do nothing but stand by helplessly as her son slipped under the water.
Major General Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant to the Dubai Police Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs, said that the family and the public tried to save the boy until the authorities arrived but they were unable to rescue him in time.
The drowning was reported last week. The child was a GCC national.
Despite the metal railing, the boy was able to slip through because of his small frame, he said.
Al Mansouri said that the police received a call from one of the people who was at the scene of the incident, saying that a child had fallen into the water in Dubai Marina.
A patrol was dispatched to the scene along with members of the Criminal Investigation Department, but the child had already died.
Maj Gen Al Mansouri urged parents to watch their children more closely at all times to avoid such tragedies.
The tragic accident is the second accident this month to have claimed the life of a young boy.
In Fujairah on November 2, two boys drowned after falling into a seven-metre-deep pond that formed near their house following heavy rain.
Police investigation revealed that a boy slipped and fell into the pond as he played with other children in Al Wahla area.
An Emirati youth, identified as S.M., 19, ran to help A.M.S. after hearing his screams.
The teenager jumped into the pond to rescue the boy but he also drowned.
Following the incident, police in Fujairah urged parents to exercise caution and watch over their children carefully — particularly when they are playing near wadis or ponds.
