Ritaj Al-Shaibani Abdulkarim Al-Dhiyabi Okaz/Saudi Gazette TAIF — The Civil Defense in Taif has started investigating the death of a seven-year-old girl who drowned in her home's septic tank last month. The directorate announced the formation of a fact-finding committee to look into the death of the victim, identified as Ritaj Al-Shaibani. Brig. Gen. Fayiz Subayan Al-Otaibi, director general of Taif Civil Defense, said the results of the investigation would be revealed when the committee completes its task. However, the girl's father Matar Mus'id Al-Shaibani said the Civil Defense diver who recovered Ritaj's body did not jump in straight away and left her to struggle for at least 45 minutes. In a complaint seen by Okaz to the Ministry of Interior and the Taif governorate, he also said the diver told him that he had not brought the antidote injection and diving goggles that were necessary for such cases. The diver waited until Ritaj had floated to the surface and then pulled her out by her leg using a hook, but by that point it was too late, he said. According to eyewitnesses, the girl fell into the septic tank at 5.15 p.m. on Nov. 25 and died at around 6.30 p.m. However, Col. Khaled Al-Qahtani, Civil Defense spokesman in Taif, said divers were able to rescue Ritaj but she died two hours after arriving at Prince Mansour Hospital in Taif hospital, adding the septic tank cover was not tightly secured. Al-Shaibani told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the incident should be investigated and those proven to be negligent when they should have been trying to save her should be disciplined. He said he found out about his daughter's death from his family while he was in Riyadh. In his complaint, he said his daughter fell into the tank in his home and his relatives called the Civil Defense. The rescue teams arrived immediately with a diver wearing a diving suit. However, he said the diver refused to go into the water because he had not brought an antidote to safeguard against any poisoning. There were several witnesses present, he said. He said in the letter: “I demand you deal with this negligence that has taken place. “Taking such a decision when my child's life was in danger is unacceptable. “Since we lost Ritaj, her mother's condition is extremely bad. “She does not talk to anyone. She just hugs her daughter's clothes and cries." Several eyewitnesses interviewed by Okaz/Saudi Gazette agreed Ritaj died because of the negligence of Civil Defense rescuers. They said one witness volunteered to rescue her but the diver prevented him from going into the septic tank. The witness who volunteered to jump in, Waleed Mubarak Al-Shaibani, said: “At 5.15 p.m. I was in the sitting room of the house. “Ritaj and her younger brother were by the outer door of the house. “I told them to go inside the house and returned to the sitting room. “While sitting in the room, I heard the younger brother shouting that Ritaj had fallen into the septic tank. “I rushed to the tank and saw bubbles rising in the water. “I telephoned the Civil Defense without delay and they arrived fast. “The diver just stood there and started asking me whether I was sure she had fallen into the tank. “I told him she did and urged him to rescue her, but he was hesitant. “When I insisted, he said he had not brought the antidote injection and diving goggles. “At this point, I tried to go in myself, but he and those with him stopped me. “A Yemeni man came forward and volunteered to go in, but they didn't allow him either."
