I tried my best to save the boy, guard says

Dubai: "I tried my best but I feel terrible about the boy's death," the security guard who was injured while trying to catch a boy who fell from an eighth floor window on Tuesday, told Gulf News, narrating the traumatising incident as it unfolded.

He saw the boy while he was dangling from the window of the MAG 214 building in Jumeirah Lake Towers and tried to cushion his fall but ended up sustaining arm and neck injuries.

Dubai Police honoured 30-year-old Tin Aung Win, from Myanmar, yesterday evening for his bravery.

Speaking after accepting the award, Win said that while he is glad to be honoured, he is deeply moved by the boy's death. "I too have an eight-year-old son, back home," he said.

"Trying to catch him was the only thing I could think of in the few seconds I had," he said, trying to contain his emotions. "I was hoping it would soften his fall. But the baby is dead... I am very sad," he said.

Win has been employed as a security guard with Secure Plus, part of Palmon Group, for over two years now.

He injured his right hand and injured his head, which required a few stitches, and sustained several minor bruises all over his body, in addition to a compression of the spine.

He was on night duty and his duty almost ended when at about 6.53 am he heard a commotion and rushed outside the building.

"I saw a man looking up and shouting and I saw the boy dangling out of the window. "More than half of his body was outside the window. When I saw him slip down I held my hand up high and ran to the area.

"He landed with his head on my right arm, but before I knew I fell down and became semi unconscious," Win said.

He cannot remember how he hurt his head, he added.

The mother committed suicide by jumping off the window of her eighth-floor apartment, minutes after her son died.

Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Humaid Al Merri, Director of Criminal Investigation section at Dubai Police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said the guard's efforts and sacrifice did not go unnoticed although the five-year-old boy fell to his death.

"Although we wish that the boy had been saved, the bravery of the security guard must be acknowledged because he rushed to help although he knew that he could have been killed or seriously injured," Lt Col Al Merri said.

Win was awarded a certificate and a gift, at the Jebel Ali Police Station.

"The police told me I am a hero and that I did a good job and thanked me."

"But the truth is I was just doing my duty."

"As guards it is our duty to protect the lives and properties of the public and I just did whatever the best I could," he said.

After Gulf News first broke the story online yesterday, hundreds of comments started pouring in from the readers. While most of them offered condolences to the family, many raised concerns about the safety of children in high rise buildings.

The mental trauma he is going through is beyond words, so we are doing as much as we can to help him recuperate both physically and mentally, an official at Palmon Group, said.