Zoo trip turns tragic for Hyderabad family as 2-year-old dies after being hit by battery-operated vehicle

A visit to the zoo on Christmas Day turned tragic for a Hyderabad family after a 2-year-old boy was hit by a battery-operated vehicle at the Nehru Zoological Park and later succumbed to his injuries. A resident of Vidyanagar, Mohd Omer Siddiqui, was taken to the zoo park by his family on Tuesday. The boy was playing in the zoo park when a battery-operated vehicle hit him in the afternoon and sustained injuries. According to Bahadurpura additional inspector of police M Shiva Krishna, the incident took place around 4.30 pm. The boy is said to have been struck from behind by a vehicle being operated by one Hari, a contractual employee of the Nehru Zoological Park. The two-year-old fell to the ground due to the impact.

 “While returning to the main gate after seeing the animals, the boy accompanied by his siblings, mother and few other relatives, was playing on the road near elephant enclosure when a battery-operated vehicle hit him. He fell and sustained internal injuries,” Shiva Kumar said.

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The police said that the parents of the victim rushed him to the main gate in the same vehicle and then hailed an autorickshaw and took him to Princess Durru Shehvar Hospital in Purani Haveli. According to police, the victim died en route. The police registered a case against the driver of the battery-operated vehicle and are investigating the matter. The driver of the battery-operated vehicle is in police custody. Omer’s father who works in Saudi Arabia is said to be on way back to the city.

Hyderabad: A 2-year-old boy died after he was hit by a battery-operated vehicle in the Nehru Zoological Park premises yesterday. A case has been registered against the driver. #Telangana

— ANI (@ANI) December 25, 2018

A source from the Nehru Zoological Park said that Hari is an outsourced employee and has been working at the zoo for about five years. “The battery-operated vehicles cannot go fast and the body is made of fibre. There are around 30 such vehicles in the zoo,” the source said as quoted by the Hindu.