A HEARTBROKEN Bahraini family has spoken about the death of their four-year-old son, who suffocated after being trapped inside a car boot for nearly three hours.

Sayed Hadi Sayed Haider was playing in his Karbabad home when he managed to take the keys of his mother's car, went outside, opened the boot and climbed in on Friday - the first day of Ramadan.

He closed the boot on himself, leaving him stuck for almost three hours before relatives found him, said his uncle Hussain Ahmed.

"He took the keys and went outside to play at around 2.30pm without anyone noticing him as everyone was busy," Mr Ahmed told the GDN yesterday.

"He opened the boot and locked himself inside. "He was inside the boot for almost three hours, while we were searching for him in the house. "The car was parked under the sun for several hours.

"My younger brother Hassan was passing by the house and saw keys hanging outside the trunk. "He was shocked when he opened it and saw Sayed Hadi inside. "He brought him into the house and called me for help, as we were all searching for him.

"We later took him to Salmaniya Medical Complex, where he was pronounced dead." Mr Ahmed described how the tragic incident has affected his sister Zahra Ahmed, who is Sayed Hadi's mother. "My sister is still in deep shock after hearing the news of Sayed Hadi's death," he said.

"She is a sickle cell patient as well. She is suffering a lot as she is in pain and needs regular treatment. "She has been in and out of the hospital since then and we are caring her as much as we can."

The child's parents were excited to send him to pre-school in September, but they will never see the joy on their youngest son's face again, said Mr Ahmed. "We prepared everything for him as he was excited to attend school for the first time after the summer holidays," he explained.

"We bought a school bag, new clothes and shoes for him, and were still planning to buy more things before he went to the school in September." Sayed Hadi was buried in Al Hilat Abdulsaleh cemetery near Karbabad in the presence of family members, neighbours and relatives.

He is survived by father Sayed Haider, his mother, 15-year-old sister Sahar, and 11-year-old brother Ali. The family is still receiving condolences. The GDN reported in July last year that a three-year-old girl had a narrow escape after her mother left her in the back seat of her car, parked in the sun for about an hour.

The woman went shopping, leaving the child sleeping in the car with the engine running and the air-conditioner on. However, the child woke up and unknowingly turned off the air-conditioner. She began to cry as she started suffocating in the close confines of the vehicle. Seeing a crowd around the car, the mother rushed out of the shop and rescued her. aneeqa@gdn.com.bh