Ajman: At least three people, including two baby girls, died in two separate incidents of suspected pesticide poisoning in Ajman and Fujairah, Gulf News has learnt.
Two daughters of a Bangladeshi family have died in Ajman and the cause of death is suspected to be inhalation of fumes from pesticides that were sprayed in a neighbour’s apartment.
In another incident, a 35-year-old Filipina died and her two female colleagues fell sick after reportedly inhaling pesticide fumes in their neighbour’s house in Fujairah.
In Ajman, the children’s father, Habib Allah, told Gulf News that his two daughters fell sick and were taken to a hospital for treatment after reportedly inhaling pesticide fumes.
Habib Allah said that he noticed a strong odour coming from the apartment adjacent to his in the building in the new industrial area in Ajman, but did not know that it was pesticide.
His two daughters, 3-year-old Hafsa and 8-month-old Sawda, fell extremely ill and turned pale. The family took their daughters to a hospital where they were given medication. The girls were discharged from the hospital after treatment.
Investigations
On the second day, the two girls fell sick again and were taken to the intensive care unit at Khalifa Hospital in Ajman as their condition worsened.
Hafsa breathed her last in the hospital at around 7pm and Sawda died three hours later. Habib Allah said that he came to know later that his neighbour had sprayed his apartment with pesticides.
The neighbour was not present in his apartment because the pesticide company had asked him to stay away for at least two days. However, the tenant failed to inform his neighbours. Police have taken the neighbour into custody and have sealed the flat pending investigations.
Habib Allah, a tailor by profession, has been living in the UAE since 1994. Ajman Police are investigating the incident. Blood samples have been taken from all family members and autopsies on the girls’ bodies have also been done to determine the cause of death. Samples of the pesticide are also being examined.
According to the police, the incident happened on June 1. However, the police revealed details after the girls were buried on June 13 after completing the forensic examinations.
In the Fujairah incident, a 35-year-old Filipina who worked at a beauty salon died and two other female workers fell sick after inhaling pesticide fumes emanating from a neighbour’s apartment, an official at Fujairah police told Gulf News on Friday. The incident took place on Wednesday.
The condition of the two sick Ethiopian female workers who are being treated at Fujairah hospital is reported to be serious. The three women shared the same accommodation.
Strong odour
Investigations revealed that the neighbour’s apartment was sprayed with pesticides and its residents were advised to leave for 48 hours due to the strong fumes.
Fujairah police launched an investigation over the incident while samples of the pesticide have been taken for forensic laboratory test.
Police said that legal action will be taken against the firm if it is proven that they were flouting the law, using banned chemicals that affect human health.
Ajman municipality has also warned residents against using pesticides made with banned materials.
