Sheffield Labour MPs join calls for safety investigation after Afghan boy's death

Labour MPs in Sheffield have joined the Refugee Council's call for an urgent investigation into accommodation safety following the death of a five-year-old Afghan refugee, who fell from a hotel window in Sheffield.

It is believed Mohammed Munib Majeedi had only just arrived in the UK after fleeing Afghanistan with his family. He died after falling from a window, believed to be on the ninth floor, at the Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel on Blonk Street at 2.30pm on Wednesday 18 August.

It's understood his father worked at the British Embassy. A fellow refugee staying at the hotel said the boy arrived in Sheffield four days before the incident after escaping the advances of the Taliban in his homeland.

In a joint statement, Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield, Sheffield South East MP, Clive Betts, Sheffield Hallam MP Olivia Blake, Sheffield Brightside MP Gill Furniss, and Sheffield Haigh MP Louise Haigh, said "lessons must be learnt from this tragedy."

The statement adds: "His death is felt across Sheffield and across the country.

"Lessons must be learnt from this tragedy so it is never repeated. The Home Office have a duty of care for all those who they resettle under their programmes. We support the Refugee Council’s call for an urgent investigation into the circumstances of Mohammed’s death, which must be independently conducted to establish what was known by the Home Office about the suitability and safety of this accommodation, and what procedures were followed before commissioning its use for vulnerable families.

"The UK must be a safe haven for those fleeing the appalling horrors in Afghanistan, and we must see a clear commitment from the Government to ensure this is the case."

ITV Calendar has been told the hotel is now "closed for two months for maintenance".

Blonk Street was closed for several hours after the incident on Wedneday, as police vehicles flooded the scene.

The boy is thought to have fallen from a window at the back of the hotel onto the NCP Blonk Street car park. One of the guests said: “I heard a big loud noise and then a couple of seconds later I heard the mother screaming, ‘my boy!’”

It is understood the boy was staying in the hotel with his father, mother, two brothers and two sisters. South Yorkshire Police confirmed his family are being supported by specially trained officers.

A Government spokesperson has 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 are providing accommodation and support.

"We are absolutely committed to ensuring that those we are relocating from Afghanistan are appropriately accommodated and supported and we are working hard with local authorities to deliver this."

South Yorkshire Police says enquiries are in place to establish what occurred, but said the death is not being treated as suspicious.

Meanwhile, officers have arrested a 42-year-old woman on suspicion of malicious communications and racially aggravated public order offences after comments made online about the boy earlier this week.

The woman remains in police custody at this time as enquiries continue. Acting Detective Inspector Lee Corker said: