Abu Dhabi - The shocking indent occurred in the Mina area of Abu Dhabi on Wednesday morning.
Published: Tue 12 Nov 2019, 11:00 PM
Updated: Wed 13 Nov 2019, 11:22 PM
Police in Abu Dhabi have issued a fresh warning against parents leaving their children alone in parked cars after two brothers left in a 4WD were burned to death as the vehicle caught fire.
The shocking indent occurred in the Mina area of Abu Dhabi on Wednesday morning.
The police said the Emirati brothers, aged three and one-and-a-half years old, had been apparently left alone in the vehicle when it caught fire.
Police and the civil defence teams reached the scene immediately after being notified about the incident and managed to control the fire. The police were still investigating the cause of the fire.
The children were buried at Bani Yas cemetery after Dhuhr (afternoon) prayers on Wednesday.
The police expressed regret over the tragedy, stressing that it was absurd that incidents of kids being left alone inside parked vehicles were still happening despite several warnings to parents.
Brigadier-General Mohammad Suhail Al Rashidi, Director of Criminal Security at the Abu Dhabi Police, said: "It is very dangerous for parents to leave their children in vehicles without adult supervision. Leaving children alone inside parked cars at homes or in other places is an act of negligence which leads to serious consequences, including death."
He added: "Parents should take precautions to avoid such cases of children dying inside vehicles from happening again."
Brig-Gen Al Rashidi urged parents to always take good care of their children and to ensure that they don't leave them back in parked cars especially when have travelled with them outside.
According to the police, leaving a car engine running when children are inside alone, can also lead to endangering of the kids as they always tamper with the vehicle and its engine.
The police said there have been continuous warnings and intensive awareness campaigns to educate the public about the dangers of leaving kids in cars.
"Parents should pay more attention to children and should monitor them at all time," said Brig-Gen Al Rashidi.
Authorities have in the past reported many incidents of parents leaving children alone in parked cars when the engine is working or forgetting a sleeping child in the rear seats of the car after the parents have returned home from an outing. Such incidents have on many occasions led to the death of children.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com