The 5-year-old boy, who died after falling from the ninth of a Sheffield, South Yorkshire hotel on Wednesday, is believed to be an Afghan refugee, who had arrived to the UK with his parents just days ago after fleeing the Taliban.
The boy has been identified as Mohammed Monib Majeedi. He was peering down from the ninth floor when he fell and plunged to his death at 2.30 pm on Wednesday.
The incident happened at OYO Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel, when the boy's mother witnessed the horror fall and shouted "save my son please." The South Yorkshire hotel had been requisitioned for recently escaped Afghans and their families who worked with the British Army during the 20-year conflict.
Innocent Life Lost
Mohammed had been staying at the hotel with his mother Shekiba, father Omar Majeedi, two brothers and two sisters after the family arrived to the UK earlier this month, anticipating that the Taliban would soon take siege of the country. The boy's father worked at the British Embassy in Kabul and the family was evacuated by the UK government.
It's feared the little boy fell as he looked out of the window of the family's hotel room. Majeedi fell at least 70 feet, while his mother helplessly watched the entire episode. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the window the accident happened due to a faulty window.
The window should ideally open just 5cm but opened wide enough for Mohammed to fall through. As of now police are not suspecting any foul play. A hotel guest, who served as an interpreter with the British Army in Afghanistan for two years and arrived in the UK with his family on July 27, told The Sun, "It happened at around 2pm and he fell from the ninth floor at the back of the hotel. He can't have been in England very many weeks. We spent two weeks in quarantine in Manchester and moved into this hotel five days ago."
Tragic End to Life
Although no foul play is suspected, police have launched an investigation. Health and Safety Inspectors could be seen opening a number of the hotel windows following the tragedy, revealing that more than one window left a 1ft 6in gap.
As the boy fell, people gathered on the street. A former British Army interpreter, 35, who didn't want to be named, accompanied the boy's distraught mother and dad to hospital. "There was a crowd and there was shouting. I saw out the window there was a child fallen down. I came downstairs. Some police officers came there. His mother was crying," he said.
The hotel colleagues were also present and they told me he had fallen down from the ninth floor. I explained that the lady didn't speak English and someone should translate for her. Then I went with them to the hospital," he added.
However, Mohammed couldn't be saved. The news comes just a day after it was announced that 30,000 Afghans will be resettled in the UK but just 2,000 have been evacuated so far under a new scheme.
Mohammed's father, a senior humanitarian worker, had worked for the British Embassy in Kabul. He had worked in the role as a projects manager handling Afghan migrants returning to the country since December, 2020.
