Three-year-old boy dies after being left in kindergarten shuttle in Turkey’s İzmir

İZMİR – Doğan News Agency

A three-year-old boy has dies after he was left forgotten in his kindergarten shuttle bus in the Aegean province of İzmir, as driver of the shuttle was arrested by police on Aug. 17. 

Alperen Sakin was reportedly forgotten inside the shuttle after arriving at his kindergarten in İzmir’s Çiğli district on Aug. 15. After a number of hours, officials from the kindergarten found him fainted in the shuttle and took him inside the school. 

Sakin was rushed to hospital but despite all medical efforts he did not regain his consciousness.  

Following the incident two men, identified only by their initials T.İ. and D.K., were detained and were referred to the court. The court arrested the driver of the shuttle but the other suspect was released. 

Sakin’s father said officials of the kindergarten had lied to the family about the incident.

“They initially said they could not wake up my child from his sleep for lunch. But there are some inconsistencies in their statements. When the incident occurred, the time was 6:30 p.m. and no one was having their lunch at this time. After that I learned the truth. They had forgotten my child in the shuttle for at least 10 hours. No young boy can survive in a shuttle without water and food during the warmest hours of İzmir,” Serkan Sakin said, adding that doctors said the boy was already dead when arrived at hospital.

“How can a driver or a helper forget a little boy? I cannot understand it. They should be punished according to the law,” he said.