Children drown in pond in Abu Dhabi trying to rescue friend

Abu Dhabi - One slipped into the water, and others entered the pond one by one to help him out.

Three of the children who drowned in a pond at an Abu Dhabi farm were trying to save their friend who had fallen into the water, said the father of one of the boys.

The four children, including two brothers, died after drowning in the pond at a farm in Al Bahia area of Abu Dhabi.

The Abu Dhabi Police said the incident occurred on Sunday, the third day of Eid Al Adha, when the boys, including a 12-year-old Emirati and three Arabs aged 10, 11 and 12, from the same family were playing around the big pond that was being used for raising fish.

Hussein Al Bureiki, the father of the Emirati boy, said the other three children died as they tried to save his son's friend who had accidentally fell into the pond.

The pond, which is about 30 metres long, 10 metres wide and 1.5 metres deep, is located in the middle of the farm, around 45km away from Abu Dhabi city.

The father said the boys had entered into the pond one by one to rescue their friend after seeing him drowning in the water.

"The boys had gone out of the house located at the farm to play," Al Bureiki, who is also the owner of the farm, said on Abu Dhabi TV during a news bulletin on Tuesday evening.

"The children went and sat near the water pond when my son accidentally slipped and fell into the pond."

He added: "And when the boys realised that their friend was drowning, they entered into the water one after another to rescue him. They also tried to save each other and leading to the drowning of all the four."

Police said rescue teams and paramedics rushed to the area after being informed about the incident. Divers jumped into pond and pulled the boys out of the water.

Paramedics provided the necessary first aid to the boys before they were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they later died.
 
"It was such a big tragedy. It's so sad losing all these children in such a manner," said Al Bureiki.

He noted that it was very important for people to restrict children from going near the water ponds especially those without fences or barriers around them so as to prevent the occurrence of such incidents in the future.

"Children might not be aware of the dangers of such water ponds," he said.

The water pond at Al Bureiki's farm did not have barriers around it.

Abu Dhabi Police urged parents to always monitor the movements of their children and to always cover the ponds, water dams or holes located near their homes for the protection of children.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com