A six-year-old Indian boy reportedly drowned in a swimming pool in his Abu Hamour compound on Friday, Gulf Times reports.

Sources told the newspaper that the first-grader, identified as Thomas Nettickaden, was cycling near the pool in the compound where his family lived at the time of the accident.

Arrangements are being made to fly the child’s body back to Kerala, where parents Anshu and Veena Nettickaden, who work in Doha, will bury him.

Spotlight on drownings

The number of drownings involving children in Qatar has doubled to 25 from 2010 to 2011, with accidents taking place in swimming pools, baths and even buckets of water, statistics show.

As part of its Kulluna campaign, Qatar has been stepping up water safety awareness this year as a way to curb these preventable deaths.

Find tips on protecting children from water-related accidents here or by visiting Kulluna’s website.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Henti Smith