A school bus driver who ran over an Emirati toddler, killing him, on Sunday has been arrested.
The man, of Asian origin but whose exact nationality and age were not disclosed by authorities, was a bus driver for Al Risalah Private School in Wasit, Sharjah.
At 2.45pm on Sunday, the driver stopped the bus in front of the 18-month-old boy’s family home in Al Tunaiji neighbourhood in Al Dhaid to drop the toddler’s siblings off from school.
The child, named Saeed, was accompanied by the family’s housemaid while waiting for his siblings on the pavement.
It is unclear how he wandered from the housemaid and onto the road behind the bus but the driver, who could not see the boy, reversed to get back onto the main street and ran over the child.
Police were called to the scene and an ambulance rushed the boy to Al Dhaid Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police questioned the housemaid and arrested the driver as part of their investigation into the incident.
The boy was buried on Sunday after Al Asr prayers.
Saeed attended Al Bustan nursery where his mother worked as an Arabic teacher.
Maitha Al Tunaiji, director of the nursery, said the bus staff did not see the boy. She said she and other members of staff would be visiting the family to offer their condolences.
The Ministry of Education has requested a detailed report on the accident from the school as well as clarification on whether or not an attendant was on the bus.
