2.5-year-old twins drown in neighbour's pool in UAE

Emirati twin boys, aged two years and five months, drowned in the swimming pool of their neighbour at Khuzam area in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah late on Thursday.

Brigadier Mohammed Saeed Al Humaidi, director-general of the central operations room, RAK Police, on Friday morning said they were alerted about two missing kids at 10.10pm yesterday. "The RAK Police immediately launched an intensive search operation but could not find them."

However, 83 minutes later, the operations room received a report of drowning of the two missing twins, according to Major Tariq Al Sharhan, chief of the Ambulance and Rescue Section, RAK Police.

"The rescue team fished out the two boys from the swimming pool and tried all ways to resuscitate them, but unfortunately, they were declared dead."

The duo was shifted to the morgue of the nearest hospital for burial, he added. "The file was referred to the bodies concerned for completing legal procedures."

Brig Humaidi urged all families to always keep an eye on their children, particularly the young ones. "They should never ever be kept alone or unattended."

All corridors, doors, or paths leading to the swimming pool should be strictly closed down, so, no one can have access to the pool, which should



also be tightly sealed, he pointed out.

A neighbour of the drowned kids told Khaleej Times that the twins, identified as Abdullah M. and Zayed M., have been handed over to their family for burial procedures.

"The funeral prayers will be performed for the twins at Sheikh Zayed mosque in Ras Al Khaimah following the Friday prayer, while the duo will be later buried at the Hudaiba Cemetery."

Past incidents

A one-and-half-year-old Omani boy also drowned in the swimming pool of a villa in RAK city on February 23 evening this year.

Late in December 2018, a three-year-old Arab boy was also drowned to death in the swimming pool of a hotel villa here in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.

The boy, identified as Saif M., was on a trip with his family who came all the way from Abu Dhabi to enjoy the weather and sights here in Ras Al Khaimah.

"The father said the tragic incident happened when his children were playing alone in the apartment villa. "They headed to the pool of the villa while I was relaxing in another part of it, close to them."

Early in July 2018, an Emirati toddler girl was also pronounced dead days after drowning at a swimming pool in her house at the Khat area in Ras Al Khaimah.