Fujairah rescue: Domestic worker saves seven-year-old boy in well collapse by holding him until help arrived

Fujairah: An Ethiopian domestic worker, 25, clung to a seven-year-old child after they both fell into a well inside a house in the Murayshid area of ​​Fujairah. 

She continued to hold him and protect him, leaning on an iron part inside the well, refusing to leave him despite her injury and the difficulty of the situation, until the Police, Civil Defence and national ambulance teams arrived. She handed the child over to the rescue teams first, before exiting the well.

The Deputy Director of Fujairah Civil Defence Department, Colonel Khalid Rabie Al Hamoudi, visited the child’s family at their home to check on his safety following the accident. He also checked on the health of the domestic worker who is still receiving treatment at Fujairah Hospital after suffering a fracture in one of her legs.

One of the child’s relatives, who was at home at the time of the incident, said that the incident occurred at around 3.30pm on Saturday, while the child was visiting his mother’s family home with his mother. She explained that the child suffers from hyperactivity, and therefore the family had assigned two workers to follow up on him, monitor his movements, and keep him away from any source of danger that might harm him.

She added that one of the two workers was new to the family and was unaware of the existence of a well behind the house, which had been covered with slabs and stone pieces that were placed to secure the cover. She noted that the child ran towards the area behind the house, and the new worker followed him to monitor him, while the other worker was on her lunch break.

She continued: “The child and the worker reached the well and stood on top of the cover without realising it was underneath them, before the cover collapsed because it could not bear their weight, and they both fell into the well.”

She explained that the worker started screaming and calling for help from inside the well, until the other worker heard her and rushed to the place, adding that she was asleep at that time and woke up to the sounds of screaming and calling for help, so she quickly contacted the Police and asked for assistance.

She said that the injured worker held on to the child throughout the period of waiting for the rescue teams, who responded quickly to the report, while she was leaning on an iron part inside the well to prevent them from falling to a deeper level, stressing that she “refused to leave the child or let go of him despite the difficulty of the situation and her injury.”

She added that as soon as the Police, Civil Defence and national ambulance arrived, the worker made sure to hand the child over to them first, before she was taken out, and both of them were transferred to receive treatment.

She noted that the child left the hospital the following day after his health was checked, while the domestic worker is still receiving treatment at Fujairah Hospital due to a broken leg.

She confirmed that, following the incident, the family took additional measures to secure the well site, as it was closed with a tight iron cover, and an iron door and barrier were placed to prevent access to it, to ensure that no one approaches it in the future, and to maintain the safety of the family members.

Colonel Khalid Rabie Al Hamoudi visited the child’s family at their home, checked on his health during the visit, and congratulated the family on his safety, stressing the Fujairah Civil Defence Department’s keenness to follow up on humanitarian cases and stand by members of the community.

He also checked on the health condition of the assistant worker at Fujairah Hospital, wishing her and the child continued health, wellness and a speedy recovery.

The Fujairah Civil Defence Department stressed the importance of homeowners, farm owners, and landowners securing wells and closing them tightly, placing barriers and clear warning signs around them, and not leaving them exposed or without means of protection, warning that unsecured wells pose a real danger to children and adults, and a moment of inattention may turn into a life-threatening accident.

It stressed that community safety is a shared responsibility, and that taking simple preventive measures to secure well sites could help prevent accidents and save lives.