A two-year-old boy has died tragically after swallowing a piece of bubblegum at a Kmart store in Joondalup, Perth.
The boy, named Essa Rahman Siddiqui, who was there with his mother, is believed to have choked on a piece of bubblegum that was in a bag of lollies his mother had placed next to his stroller.
Fellow shoppers looked on horrified as the little boy started to turn blue in the face.
A screaming woman reportedly ran into the chemist next door pleading for help, but by the time paradmedics arrived the boy has lost consciousness and had stopped breathing.
He was taken to nearby Joondalup Health Campus but he could not be revived, and he was pronounced dead.
“We are all devastated by what has happened,” Kmart’s head of corporate affairs Tracie Walker told the Daily Mail.
“In respect for the family we will not be commenting further.”
Police were called to the scene but have ruled the death as not suspicious, according to the West Australian.
The father of the boy has since taken to Facebook to thank people for their sympathy.
“Thank you for your heartfelt sympathy with which you shared your great love. My only beloved son Essa Rahman Siddiqui was only two and a half years old.”
Would you know what to do if a child starting choking?
Watch the video below or visit St John First Aid for information.
