A toddler has been seriously injured after falling from the first floor of a mall in Al Ain.
Videos of the boy, believed to be almost three-years-old, circulated on WhatsApp on Monday.
They show the boy laying face-down, still, in a pool of his blood as ambulance workers attend to him in Al Jimi Mall. The area is cordoned off by police and shocked passers-by look on. The video then pans to the area directly above the boy to show a gap between an escalator and a glass banister where the toddler is believed to have fallen from.
Another video shows the boy being carried away on a stretcher by two members of Abu Dhabi Police Ambulance. A wail is heard and the boy is seen moving with blood still on his face.
The boy's father told Arabic-language newspaper Al Khaleej that he was at the mall with his wife and son and the three were about to take the escalator. He said his son was leaning on "an area not reinforced with metal near the escalator" when he fell.
The boy was taken to Al Ain Hospital for immediate surgery, he said.
A spokesperson from Al Jimi Mall said they could confirm that an incident took place on June 3 which resulted in a child being injured.
“Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the incident and further information will be provided once it has been concluded,” the spokesperson said.
Abu Dhabi Police have been contacted for comment.