Boy, 6, electrocuted after wandering into electrical room in Ras Al Khaimah
A boy in Ras Al Khaimah was electrocuted when he wandered into an electrical room near his home.
The boy’s family said they had been asking authorities to lock or to relocate the room for the past three years.
On Saturday, Emirati Salem Ali Al Miri, 6, was playing in Al Shamal near his home when he walked into the room and accidentally electrocuted himself.
Salem was found hours later by his mother after he failed to return home but he was dead on arrival at hospital.
Yesterday, Saeed Al Miri, a cousin of the boy’s father, told
that residents had for years been asking authorities to move or lock the room, which is part of the electricity supply to the neighbourhood.
“It’s always open and located near the residential area,” Mr Al Miri said. “We have been asking authorities to relocate it for the past three years but nothing happened.”
Electricity in the neighbourhood is supplied by the Federal Electricity and Water Authority. Mr Al Miri said residents submitted a plan to the authority suggesting alternative locations for the electrical room in 2016 but never heard back.
He said the door was kept open by electrical technicians and that it posed a danger to children and even motorists because of its location. “The room is on the side of the road and could be really dangerous if any car accidentally hit it,” he said.
Mr Al Miri was told of Salem’s death at 4.30pm on Saturday.
“I got a call saying that Salem was playing in front of his house when he went missing.
“His mother found him unconscious at the electrical room and immediately took him to Saqr Hospital,” Mr Al Miri said. “He was already dead and they couldn’t do anything to save him.”
Salem was the oldest of five children and leaves three sisters and a brother.
“We are shocked and nothing can be done to bring him back,” Mr Al Miri said. “It’s a tragic accident that could have been prevented if the room was safely closed and located far from our neighbourhood.”
The incident has raised questions of accountability.
Afra Al Basti, director general of Dubai Foundation for Women and Children, said the authority was partly to blame but that the onus was on parents to supervise children.
“It’s a tragic incident that took the life of an innocent child and would have been prevented if the child was under the supervision of the parents and the electrical room was closed properly,” Ms Al Basti said.
She said parents should teach children the dangers of electricity.
“Authorities should also make sure that such hazardous places are kept closed and fenced,” she said.
A Fewa representative said the authority could not comment until police released the results of their investigation.
Funeral prayers were held in Al Kherkhor mosque on Saturday and Salem was buried in Bin Qaatu Cemetery.