An act of negligence claimed a six-year-old boy's life in Selangor's Gombak District on 21 April as he succumbed to heatstroke after being left in a closed van for three hours. The child went unnoticed by the vehicle's driver, who otherwise could have saved him, reported the Star.
According to reports, the victim, identified as Muhammad Iqram Danish, and three other children boarded the van at 2pm on Friday and were on their way to kindergarten at Jalan Desa, Bandar Country Homes, Rawang.
Gombak Deputy OCPD Mohd Marzuki Mohd Mokhtar said that the boy was sitting at the back of the van when he dozed off during the journey and thus when all the kids got down from the van he was left behind.
The 21-year-old driver, unaware of Muhammad sleeping in the van, drove back home, locked up the vehicle and left it in its parking lot.
"He was already unconscious when he was discovered at the back of the van at 5pm," said the police officer, as reported. The boy was immediately rushed to Hospital Sungai Buloh, however, he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The case is being investigated under Section 31(1) of the Child Act 2001 for neglect.
