Police charge driver, supervisor after schoolgirl left on board bus

A school bus driver and a supervisor have been charged with neglect after a schoolgirl was left locked inside a hot vehicle for up to three hours, according to reports in local media.

Ajman Police said the bus driver failed to notice that the six-year-old girl, who had fallen asleep, was still on board the bus when it arrived at the school. The bus was subsequently parked up in an industrial estate in Ajman, and the girl was eventually found at 10am when a Sudanese passer-by noticed her crying for help.

After the man contacted police, the girl was taken to Khalifa Hospital, and eventually returned home to her mother.

The Indian bus driver was arrested and questioned about the incident, and police also questioned the supervisor and school management.

The supervisor, an Arab woman, failed to notice that the girl did not attend classes, despite being registered on the bus attendance sheet, reports claimed.

The driver was subsequently charged with neglect and endangering the lives of others while the supervisor was charged with neglect.

The incident comes just six months after a school girl died of suffocation in Abu Dhabi after she was left locked in a bus after it arrived at the school.