Abu Dhabi: Five-year-old Nazaha Aasima could not understand what it meant when she was told that her younger sister had gone to God.
She was playing with the children of relatives who visited her family after hearing the tragic death of her sister Nizaha Aalaa.
As Gulf News reported, Aalaa died on Tuesday after allegedly being left locked inside her school bus.
“When Aasima asked about her sister, we told her she had gone to Allah. But without realising what it means she went back to playing with the kids,” Naseer Ahmad, her father, said when Gulf News visited his residence in Khalidiya on Wednesday.
“Both were so close; I don’t know what her reaction will be when she realises the reality,” Ahmad said.
A KG-1 pupil, Aalaa was in the second month of her schooling at Al Worood Academy Private School, a British/American curriculum school.
Ahmad said he still has not recovered from the shock after he saw his child’s body. When notified of an emergency by school officials at 12.40pm on Tuesday, he andhis wife rushed to the school.
“We were told that she had been left behind inside the bus in the morning and found dead in the afternoon. They had moved the body from the bus to the medical room at the school.”
“We could not believe what was going on,” Ahmad said in hushed voice.
Nabeela, the child’s mother, was hospitalised on Tuesday afternoon and discharged by evening. “She was taken to the hospital again on Wednesday morning and discharged by late morning. She is still under medication,” family members said.
Aalaa’s grandfather said that while waiting for the school bus on Tuesday morning Aalaa was colouring the pictures she had drawn the previous night. “I told her she could continue in the afternoon after coming back from school. But…” the grandfather paused, unable to control his tears.
She was very fond of drawing and colouring. Pointing to three trophies in the drawing room, Ali said: “She had won first place in several competitions when she was in playschool last year.”
The trophies were labelled as first prize in fancy dress, recitation competition and singing competition.
“She used to even pick up Arabic songs if she listened to it just once! I always used to wonder how this little girl had so many talents!”
Even after turning 60, Ali postponed retiring from his small business and going back to India because of his two grandchildren.
Aalaa was closer to her grandfather than her own mother, Waseem Ahmad, a cousin said.
She was always talking and it was nice hearing her talk. “When her aunt (mother’s sister) used to call up from India, she used to ask why ‘don’t you come and visit me?’”
While saying this Ali got a phone call from India. “It was her aunt. She is coming here from India tomorrow [to attend the last rites of Aalaa]. Finally she comes as promised to Aalaa. But ….” Ali burst into tears.
Ali and the other family members hope what happened to Aalaa will not happen to any other child. “Nothing will give us back our child. But this should not happen to anyone else. We sincerely hope that authorities will take strict measures for this not to be repeated,” Ali said.
Aalaa’s death certificate cited the cause of death as “suffocation”, Cheriyankandath Nasser, her uncle, said. The body will be buried on Thursday evening. There will be prayers at 3pm at the mosque in the premises of Shaikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, he said. Afterwards the body will be moved to the cemetery in Baniyas, Nasser said.
