Qatar: School shut after death of 4-year-old Indian child who was forgotten inside bus

A private school in Qatar has been ordered shut after the death of a four-year-old Indian student.

Minsa Mariam Jacob, who hailed from Kerala, died on her birthday after being left inside her school bus for over four hours. The tragedy sparked massive outrage on social media.

Qatar's Ministry of Education and Higher Education ordered the nursery school's closure after an investigation revealed negligence among its workers. Those responsible have been "subjected to the most severe penalties", the authority said.

The ministry announced its decision in a tweet:

Three people have been arrested in connection to the tragedy, according to local media reports.

On September 11 — reportedly her birthday — Minsa dozed off as she was on her school bus, on her way to class. When the bus reached the school, the driver didn't notice her sleeping in the back. He locked the up the bus, not knowing that the four-year-old was left behind.

The kindergartener was found unconscious when the bus driver and conductor came back after four hours. Although she was rushed to a hospital immediately, she could not be saved.

Minsa's remains were flown to Kerala earlier today, and a funeral is set to take place in the afternoon at the family's residence Chingavanam, Kottayam, according to media reports.

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