Ostend (The Brussels Morning newspaper): Belal’s daughter, Alina Mina, drowned while playing in her grandparents’ yard in the Netherlands. Despite community efforts she was found too late leaving the family devastated.
Belal and his wife moved from the Netherlands to Belgium in 2020. They moved because Belal’s wife wanted to study to become a dental assistant and she found better opportunities in Belgium. She succeeded in her goal and now works at Metagenics a company that focuses on health products and supplements.
What led to Alina Mina’s drowning incident?
Belal who works at Lidl couldn’t go on a trip to the Netherlands with his family last weekend because of a back injury. His wife and kids went without him. During this time, his daughter Alina Mina went missing while playing in the backyard at Belal’s parents’ house. The family and others searched for her as it was a distressing situation.
Alina Mina went missing on a Friday afternoon around 2:15 p.m. When Belal got the distressing news he rushed to Nieuwkoop. By the time he arrived a big search was already happening with many local people, police and firefighters involved. Despite everyone’s efforts Alina Mina was found by divers from the fire department in the water very close to her grandparents’ house
After Alina Mina was found in the water the efforts to revive her didn’t succeed, and she passed away there. Belal vividly remembers the heartbreaking moment when he tried to wake her up feeling helpless as he held her lifeless body. Alina Mina adored water finding happiness near it on family beach trips. She also had a fascination with birds often watching them near the ditch where the tragedy happened. Belal believes she might have been attracted to the birds leading her to the water.
How did Alina Mina’s family cope with the aftermath of her drowning?
The investigation showed that Alina Mina was alive for about two minutes after falling into the water which offered some comfort to Belal and his family knowing her suffering was brief. Her loss has created a huge emptiness in their lives. Belal reminisces about their strong bond recalling how he cared for her daily from changing diapers to playing with her as soon as he got home from work. He sees this accident as a sad and unexpected event that no one could have foreseen or prevented.
Alina Mina was laid to rest in the Netherlands on Sunday following Muslim traditions that require burial within 24 hours. The burial was initially delayed due to the police investigation but the police later fast-tracked the paperwork for the funeral to proceed. Belal was very thankful for the community’s support during this tough time. Bell’s coworkers organized a campaign to help the family cope with their loss aiming to offer comfort and solidarity during their sorrowful period.
