Sharjah, Sept. 17: A nine-year-old Kerala boy was crushed to death by an inattentive Indian truck driver at a construction site near a building where he used to go for his tutorials.

A Gulf News report quoted Sharjah Police officials as saying that a lorry carrying cement mixture crushed Rickie Mathew Varghese, a pupil of Delhi Private School.

The Indian driver of the lorry was not paying attention while reversing it and ran over the boy by accident, police said.

The driver, they said, was unable to hear any cries because of the engine's noise. He also did not expect any children to be around in the area because it is a construction site.

The driver is in custody at the Buheira Police Station, and his case will be transferred within the next two days to the Sharjah Public Prosecution.

The Varghese family and well wishers are just too shocked over the incident. On Tuesday, Rickie's father who is a regional executive with the UAE Exchange, was busy completing formalities necessary to get his son's body.

According to family sources, the family in all probability will carry out the burial at their native place in Kerala.

A special assembly has been organized in the dead boy’s memory at the school premises on Wednesday. (ANI)