Sheffield hotel fall: Boy who died was Afghan refugee

Emergency services were called to the OYO Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel on Wednesday afternoon

A five-year-old Afghan refugee who fell to his death from a Sheffield hotel window has been identified by police.

It is reported Mohammed Munib Majeedi fell from a ninth-floor room where he was staying with his mother.

Emergency services were called to the OYO Metropolitan Hotel in Blonk Street, Sheffield, at about 14:30 BST on Wednesday.

A fellow Afghan staying in the hotel said Mohammed's family arrived in the UK 15 days ago.

It is understood they were relocated to the UK as part of the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme.

The man, who worked as an interpreter for the British Army in Afghanistan, said one of his children alerted him to the boy falling and he went outside to help.

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He was later asked to accompany Mohammed's mother to hospital to translate.

He said everyone in the hotel had been left shocked by the incident.

"They are so upset, they are so unhappy," he said.

"Everybody, if you want to talk to them, they have no time because they are so bad, in a bad condition."

South Yorkshire Police said it was not treating the death as suspicious

Another Afghan resident said he was in his room when he heard the boy fall.

"His mother was in the room with him," he said.

"She was screaming, 'my son, my son'. When I came here [outside] I saw the ambulance and police here."

He added: "They came here to save their lives, they came for a new life here, but unfortunately..."

The man said the eight to 10 Afghan families staying at the hotel were being moved to another hotel on Thursday afternoon.

This is a tragic case.

A five-year-old boy, only just been evacuated from Afghanistan with his four siblings and parents, has died after falling from a hotel window.

We understand Mohammed's father worked for the British Embassy in Afghanistan and had travelled to the UK under the government's scheme to resettle interpreters and support staff whose lives may be at risk from the Taliban.

Once in the UK however, the Home Office is struggling to find accommodation for refugees - many of whom are large families.

It's understood the Home Office was directly managing the now empty hotel at the time of the incident.

There had been concerns raised about the safety of the windows. I'm told some people had been moved out, but the Home Office denies this.

The housing group Mears was looking after the hotel until a few months ago, but safety concerns saw it withdraw to another nearby hotel.

What has happened here, therefore, raises some serious questions about what steps were taken to ensure the hotel was safe for vulnerable families and young children and about the state of accommodation being provided to asylum seekers.

The Home Office said: "We are extremely saddened by the tragic death of a child at a hotel in Sheffield.

"The police are providing support to the family while the investigation continues and we cannot comment further at this time."

South Yorkshire Police said: "We can confirm that the five-year-old boy who sadly lost his life is from Afghanistan."

It said Mohammed's death was not being treated as suspicious and his family was being supported by officers.

'Terrible tragedy'

The force has appealed for anyone who witnessed the incident to contact them.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: "This a terrible tragedy and our thoughts are with the family who have gone through so much trauma and suffering to reach the UK.

"It is vital the Home Office carry out an urgent investigation into what has happened so steps can be taken to quickly learn lessons.

"We don't know the details of the incident but it is imperative that families who come from Afghanistan are given all the support they need and housed in appropriate accommodation. They are vulnerable and often very traumatised."

Sheffield City Council leader Terry Fox said: "This is absolutely devastating, just so incredibly sad.

"As a council we are in close contact with the police and will provide any support that we can to the family - my heart goes out to them."