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8-year-old in Al Ain dies after electric shock from water cooler
Child reportedly thought another boy had fallen as part of a prank before approaching the cooler
- PUBLISHED: Wed 26 Aug 2026, 9:13 PM
An eight-year-old boy died after suffering an electric shock when he touched a water cooler while playing near his home in Al Ain, according to an Arabic report by Al Khaleej newspaper.
The child, identified by the newspaper as Waleed Khaled, was playing with his nine-year-old brother and other children in a residential neighbourhood when the incident happened, Al Khaleej reported on Wednesday.
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According to the newspaper, the water cooler was located outside a house and was regularly used by the children for drinking water.
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Al Khaleej quoted Waleed's nine-year-old brother, Ahmed, as saying one of their friends approached the cooler and suddenly fell to the ground after touching it.
Waleed initially thought the boy had fallen as part of a prank and went over to see what had happened, Ahmed told the newspaper.
Ahmed said he touched the boy and immediately felt electricity running through his hand, prompting him to pull his hand away.
As this happened, Waleed's shoulder came into contact with the water cooler and he immediately fell to the ground, according to his brother's account.
Ahmed then ran home to alert their father.
The father told Al Khaleej that he rushed to the scene and found Waleed lying on the ground, with blackening visible on the part of his body affected by the electric shock.
The child was taken to hospital by ambulance, where doctors told the family that he had died, the newspaper reported.
Waleed had been preparing for the new school year, with his school bag, clothes and stationery ready, and was due to go shopping for his school sports uniform, Al Khaleej reported.
The boy's death prompted an outpouring of grief among his family, classmates, teachers and school staff, who remembered him for his good manners.
The newspaper did not report what caused the water cooler to become electrically charged or whether an investigation into the equipment was under way.
