Hear a brave five-year-old girl call 999 when her mum ‘wasn’t breathing’

A brave five-year-old girl rang 999 when her mum collapsed outside their home and didn’t seem to be breathing.

Zaynab Qasim, who turned six last week, had just got home from school when she saw her mum, Samina Iqbal, 35, fall unconscious.

They just arrived outside the family home in Romford when Ms Iqbal collapsed in the car last June.

When the frightened schoolgirl couldn’t wake her up, the quick-thinking youngster found her mum’s phone and called for an ambulance.

She told the call handler, Natasha White, her mother was not breathing and that she “fainted”.

In a video of the call that has since gone viral on TikTok, Zaynab told Natasha: “So my mummy picked me up from school. Then we came back home and she got sick.”

When asked whether her mum was breathing, she replied: “No.”

During the call, Zaynab didn’t know her mum’s age so told the call handler: “She’s a big girl....she’s an adult.”

Zaynab got to meet Natasha in person and was given a bravery award for her quick thinking.

She got a tour of the London Ambulance Service call handler centre and was allowed to sit behind the wheel of an ambulance on Thursday (April 13).

Speaking about her mother’s collapse, Zaynab said: “I was scared when mummy fainted.”

The youngster told Natasha where her mum had collapsed, gave her full address and confirmed some landmarks, including a nearby church and fire station.

Natasha reassured Zaynab, telling her: “I can see where you are. Help is on its way. Just stay on the line.”

An ambulance crew arrived to help Ms Iqbal, who was later found to have suffered a debilitating migraine, which caused her to collapse.

Zaynab knew to call 999 in an emergency after hearing about a relative who needed an ambulance.

Speaking after she received her award, her proud mum said: “I’m so proud of Zaynab. I could have never thought she could organise help for me while being so calm. “I’m so impressed she knew our address by heart.

“We actually never taught her to call 999, but because of an incident that happened to a close family member in the past, Zaynab has always known that in the event of a medical emergency you should call an ambulance.

“I now think all parents should show their children how to make emergency phone calls.”

Dr Fenella Wrigley, LAS chief medical officer, Stuart Crichton, director of 999 operations and Natasha welcomed Zaynab, Samina and dad, Muhammad Qasim, 38, to the service’s headquarters on Waterloo Road, central London, where Zaynab was handed a certificate.

Natasha said: “Zaynab did so brilliantly on the call. She managed to stay calm and was able to give me her full address and landmarks which made it easy for the ambulance crew to reach her mum.

“I loved meeting her - call handlers rarely get to meet callers or the patients we help. And this was a very special caller.”

Mr Crichton added: “Zaynab is a very clever girl and a credit to her parents. Teaching your child how to call 999 in an emergency could save your life.

“You don’t need to unlock a phone to make a 999 call but it is important that children know their full address and how to open the front door in an emergency.”