Muscat: The distraught father of two Jordanian children who were rescued from a burning car in Oman has called on members of the public to pray for them as they battle for their lives in hospital with severe burns.
The children, Ghazl, 4, and Sulaiman, 3, who were rescued earlier this week from a flaming car at a petrol station, were transferred to the burns unit at Khoula Hospital in Muscat on Thursday and Tuesday respectively, their father Mohammad Sulaiman told Gulf News.
Ghazl suffered seventy per cent burns while her brother Sulaiman suffered 30 per cent burns.
The siblings had been left unattended in the car by Mohammad while he went to buy groceries at a store near the petrol station. An Omani man rescued the children after he heard them screaming when the parked vehicle burst into flames for yet reasons yet to be ascertained.
Mohammad added that Sulaiman had shown some signs of improvement but Ghazl remains in critical condition. “Ghazl opened her eyes when medics removed the bandage from her but later her eyes closed,” said the distraught father.
Mohammad said he hoped that Ghazl’s health will improve too as Khoula Hospital is considered to be well equipped to deal with burn cases. “I just want you all to pray for my children for the speedy recovery,” he said.
Mohammad said his wife is still in shock after the incident but has been with the two children in hospital round the clock.
“I believe that my little sweet Ghazl has the courage and determination to battle for her life,” said Mohammad.
The father, 33, earlier gave an emotional interview to Gulf News after the tragedy saying he would never forgive himself for what happened.
“I have been crying day and night for what I did. It was my mistake. I will not forgive myself if they die,” sobbed Mohammad while speaking over the phone from Sur province.
He warned other parents not to make a similar mistake by leaving their children unattended in vehicles.
The Omani who rescued the children, Mohammad Al Hashemi, was honoured by the owner of the petrol station for his courage.
Al Hashemi, told Gulf News earlier that he was inside his car when the incident took place. “I was about to leave but I stopped when I saw the car on fire and heard the childrens’ screams,” he said.
“I quickly decided to risk my life to save them. I could barely see anything inside the car due to the flames,” he said.
“The father was frozen and traumatised. He asked for help,” said Al Hashemi, who sustained light burns during the rescue.
He also drove the children to the hospital with their father.
In a heartwarming gesture, Omanis launched a campaign on social media to donate money for the medical treatment of the children.
