Muscat: A three-year-old boy has died after being left to swim by himself in Wadi Sabt, Kamil Wal Wafi province, east of Oman on Thursday afternoon.
The boy’s family and residents tried to rescue the boy but he died on the way to hospital. The boy was on holiday with his family, according to the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA).
Four Omani children have drowned nationwide so far in 2015.
A three-year-old girl drowned in her family swimming pool last July in the Al Nijaid area of Ibri province
Last May, Ahmad, a 12-year-old resident of Musan’ah, drowned after he went swimming in the sea with his friend near his village.
Another three-year-old girl was also swept away by the sea in Shinas province and her body was later washed up on the shore last May.
Last September, three children, all brothers, drowned in Saham province during a trip to the beach.
Seven children drowned in 2014 alone, according to Royal Oman Police (ROP) figures.
Despite warnings and campaigns from the authorities that advise parents to take care of their children when they go into the sea or wadis, drowning cases among children continue.
The ROP official affirmed that most child drownings are due to their parents’ negligence.
