Two-year-old critical after freak accident

abu dhabi — A two-year-old boy is fighting for his life in an Abu Dhabi hospital after he accidentally strangulated himself with a curtain rope while playing at home on Tuesday, Khaleej Times has learned.

The child, identified as A.S. from Kerala, India, is on ventilator at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) since Tuesday, a close family member said.

“The accident happened yesterday afternoon while he was playing with his five-year-old sister at home. Nobody knows what exactly happened. A curtain rod was broken, and the rope was hanging loose. The boy climbed on the sofa and got hold of the rope. It looks like the rope accidently got tangled around his neck while he jumped from the sofa,” the relative said on Wednesday.

The accident happened at the boy’s house on the Muroor Road in Abu Dhabi.

“The mother was in the kitchen preparing lunch. It was the sister who told her that her brother was sleeping on the floor while playing. She did not understand the seriousness of the situation,” said the relative.

According to him, when the mother rushed to the front room to check, the boy was lying unconscious on the floor and was not responding.

“They rushed him to a city hospital, where they were advised to immediately take him to the SKMC,” he said. “The boy is still unconscious. Doctors said his heart is still beating. We are all praying for his life.” The tragic incident only stresses the need to never leave children unattended.

In October, 2011, a twelve-yearold boy had accidentally hanged himself while playing with his karate belt at his home in Sharjah. His parents had said that the belt formed a noose around his neck and the other end got caught on the knob of a clothes hanger behind the door, while he jumped down from a chair.

anjana@khaleejtimes.com