Oman- Asphyxiation causes death of two children inside car

On Sunday, two brothers, aged three and five, died of asphyxiation after getting locked inside a car in Jalaan Bani Bu Ali, South Sharqiyah. 'The children were playing near the vehicle parked at home. After some time, they entered the car and were later found dead,' an ROP official told Muscat Daily. 'We call upon parents not to leave their children unattended in or near vehicles. We also advise parents to ensure their cars are locked.'

Reacting to the tragic incident, Eng Ali al Barwani, a road safety expert and member of the Oman Road Safety Association, said, 'Such cases call for extreme caution. It's summer and the temperature has touched around 42°C.

'Parents need to be extra vigilant. It is very easy for children to get into the car if the doors are open. And, there is every possibility that they can lock themselves inside making it more dangerous.'

He advised parents and guardians not to give children access to vehicles. 'We need to make sure that the vehicles are locked at all times.'

Eng Barwani said that there should be more efforts to increase awareness on such issues. 'Awareness must be increased but we have observed that this does not work well without a law to deal with such matters. Such cases need to be reviewed and dealt by law just like in many other countries.'

According to experts, death as a result of asphyxiation can occur if children are left inside a locked unventilated vehicle for more than ten minutes.