Dubai: A six-year-old Keralite boy, who was left behind alone in a bus for several hours in Dubai, was found dead. It is suspected that he died of heat stroke while trapped in the stationary bus

The victim has been identified as Mohammed Farhan Faisal from Muzhappilangad near Thalassery in Kerala's Kannur district.

Faisal was a student at Al Manar Islamic Centre in Al Quoz.

According to family sources, he slept off after boarding the bus from Karama. He was left behind after all the other students disembarked outside the centre at 8am, on Saturday.

Unaware of this, conductor and driver of the bus locked up the vehicle and left. The child who was locked inside the bus for hours together was later found dead. The Dubai Police told Khaleej Times they were notified about the tragedy at 3pm. A top official from the centre said he was found as the driver took the bus out to drop the students back home.

The body was moved to the police forensic lab. The police have begun a probe into the incident.

The actual cause of death is yet to be determined.

Such incidents are rare in the UAE, but have been reported previously.

In 2014, a KG1 pupil at Abu Dhabi's Al Worood Academy Private School suffocated to death after being forgotten inside a bus. The news had shocked the nation and sparked a major discussion on child safety in buses.

The principal, bus driver and supervisor were jailed and directed to pay 100,000 dirhams as compensation to the victim's family.

(With inputs from IANS)