Family of Haadi Akhtar who died in a snowfall claim rescuers did not search in the snow until too late
REBEKAH CAVANAGH AND JON KAILA
HERALD SUN
JUNE 28, 2014 7:48AM
Haadi?s father Akhtar Javed said rescuers only began searching the snow 45 minutes after police arrived.
THE father of a boy who died in a snowfall said his son may have lived had rescuers reacted more swiftly.
Haadi Akhtar.
?The real search for him started more than 45 minutes after police arrived,? Mr Javed said. ?Before that they were just looking around with a torch.
?If we started the search earlier, at that point a life could have been saved.?
Haadi was found after a search of piles of snow that had fallen from the roof.
?Hopefully, somebody will take some safety measures to save any other kid. We lost our kid. We don?t want anyone to lose their loved ones,? Mr Javed said.
His grieving mother has not been able to speak or sleep since
Haadi?s mother Shahnaz is helped into the mosque by friends. Picture: Tim Carrafa
Akhtar Javed said his distraught wife, Shahnaz, was in a ?terrible? state after the loss of their seven-year-old son, Haadi Akhtar.
?She?s in a big shock at what has happened. (She?s) not able to talk. We?re giving her something to help her sleep,? he said.
Haadi was killed when snow fell from a two-storey apartment roof and buried him as he played with his younger brother, Harris, 5, outside their chalet about 4.30pm on Wednesday.
Relatives gathered to pay tribute to the boy at Preston Mosque Friday.
Fighting back tears, Mr Javed told of the frantic search for his son and how the family had enjoyed a lovely day on the mountain before tragedy struck.
He said they just got back to the accommodation and he?d ducked inside to get out of his wet shoes while his two sons stayed outside. ?They?d made a snowman in the morning and were quite happy to see the snowman alive when they came back,? he said.
He asked his daughter, Mayda, 13, to check on the boys minutes later and she returned to say Haadi was missing.
?I quickly put the wet shoes back on and rushed outside. I asked my little son, Harris, ?Where is your brother, Haadi??. He said, ?He was standing there throwing snow. He was just playing there?. He couldn?t explain much as he?s just a little boy. I just started looking here and there and couldn?t find him.?
This is believed to be the lodge where Haadi died after being covered in snow sliding from a roof. Picture: Ellen Smith
Mr Javed panicked and called police, whose initial searches with torches in the immediate area failed.
Haadi?s visibly distraught mother was aided by friends as she *entered the Preston Mosque for midday prayers.
Family and friends huddled on the floor around her in the *female section of the mosque, wiping away tears as they prayed for peace.
Immediate family were then given private time with their ?beautiful? son.
The principal and teachers of Haadi?s school, Sirius College, also gathered outside to bid farewell to an ?outstanding? student.
Family friend Atif Mirza said Haadi?s parents were in ?great shock?.
?We?re all really shocked,? he said. ?To be honest, we don?t have any words to comfort them because what happened is unbelievable to everybody. We hope and pray they?ll be able to pass through this tragic phase.?