.The child, Hassan Hashim Al-Shoala, died after being forgotten on a bus that was supposed to accompany him to Al-Nakheel Kindergarten on Sunday
A 5-year-old boy died on a school bus on Sunday in the town of Halat Mahish in Qatif, eastern Saudi Arabia.
The child, Hassan Hashim Al-Shoala, died after being forgotten on a bus that was supposed to accompany him to Al-Nakheel Kindergarten on Sunday. Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances that led to the tragedy.
Hashim Al-Shaola, Hassan’s father, told Arab News that he received a call at 11:20 a.m. from the kindergarten asking why his son never made it to school that day. He said he was shocked to hear this because his son had woken up for school, and his wife had made sure he was ready to take the bus on time.
“According to the bus driver, he found Hassan not moving,” Hashim said. “I immediately wondered if something bad had happened to him. Did he get into a fight with one of his friends? Did someone hurt him? Did he faint? The driver said that wasn’t the case, and right away I knew that something was off and that something bad had happened to him.
“The driver said that when he saw him not moving, he got him some ice to try and wake him up. They kept trying to wake him up to no avail. So I asked the driver to take him to the nearest hospital and told him I would meet them there. But the driver insisted that I go to get him.
“I urged him to take Hassan to the hospital because it is critical to act quickly in such situations, and I finally managed to convince him. I followed them to the hospital, where the medical staff did their best to reanimate my son. But it turned out that he had passed. He had passed a while ago.
“As soon as I saw him and touched him, I could feel his limbs were stiff. That is when I realized that my son had really passed away.”
Hashim said that his son’s death has broken their hearts, especially Hassan’s mother, who is yet to grasp what happened.
“Someone neglected to do their job, and we are certain that those responsible will be held accountable,” he said. “The school should have called us and told us our son had not made it there as soon as classes started, and the bus driver should have made sure all students were off the bus before locking it up and leaving.”
The Education Department in the Eastern Province extended its condolences to Hassan’s family.
Saeed Al-Bahes, the department’s spokesman, explained that the tragedy was a result of the school bus driver’s negligence, as he failed to ensure there was no student left inside the vehicle.