Emirati toddler drowns in a rubber swimming pool

RAS AL KHAIMAH: An 18-month-old Emirati toddler named Reem Ahmed, drowned in a rubber swimming pool on Sunday in her family’s house in the Al Dhait area of Ras Al Khaimah.

Ahmed Saif, the child’s father, said that he had recently bought a rubber swimming pool for his children to have fun in the hot weather during the summer vacation.

“On the day of the incident, Reem was playing in the courtyard of the house, as there was a chair next to the rubber pool, and that she climbed on the chair and from it, she fell into the pool, while no one noticed her, and she drowned,” he added.

He affirmed that he was always keen to empty the pool of water ater using it, but two days before the incident, his children were swimming in it under his personal supervision, and that he was about to empty it, but he got busy with another thing and forgot to empty it.

The child was immediately transferred to the hospital in an atempt to save her life, but she didn’t survive, Ahmed Said added.

He called on all families to empty the rubber pools of water as soon as they are used, and not to put any chairs or tools that help children get up and down the pool, in order to save their lives.

He further appealed to the owners of villas to place barriers around the deep pools or cover them to prevent any child from falling into them.

For its part, the Civil Defence Directorate in Ras Al Khaimah stated that families should keep their eyes on their children while they are in swimming pools, in order to save their lives, urging them never to leave them unatended.

“The swimming pools depth must be suiting children’s age and height,” the Civil Defence added, stressing importance of alerting the swimming lifeguard if found in the place, or calling the emergency department in the event of seeing a person drowning.

National Ambulance has raised awareness of water safety to highlight the importance of being safe around water and prevent drowning. National Ambulance responded to more than 194 drowning-related incidents in swimming pools and beaches in 2021 throughout the Northern Emirates.

Simple steps like watching kids at all times, learning to swim, pairing with someone when swimming, wearing life jackets and never swimming against a rip current or jumping in to rescue someone can drastically reduce the risk of drowning.