Sharjah: A thirteen-month-old Arab girl fell to her death from the eighth floor of a building in the Al Majaz area of Sharjah on Monday afternoon, Sharjah Police told Gulf News.
The girl climbed onto a chair near a window and slipped and fell.
Police have said negligence was to blame for the incident.
The girl’s mother found the window of the room open and realised her daughter wasn’t in the room. When she approached the window she saw her daughter lying motionless on the ground and people gathering around her.
The girl was taken to hospital but died shortly after admission despite efforts to save her.
Al Buhairah Police Station is investigating the case and will summon the parents for questioning.
Warning for parents
Sharjah Police had earlier warned parents not to leave their children unattended at home and to instruct housemaids to keep a close eye on them.
Hazardous items should also be kept away from children’s reach, including kitchen knives and gas cylinders.
On Monday, the police again urged the public to regularly lock windows and to place aluminium barriers to prevent children from falling.
Falling from balconies and windows is one of the main cause of death and injury for children in the UAE and police have once again urged everyone living in high rise buildings to take all necessary procautions to prevent such incidents. They also called on building owners to help better safeguard their properties for tenants.
This is the third child fatality from a building fall in four days following the death of a 15-year-old Indian girl who fell from the 10th floor of her residential building in Sharjah on Friday, and a 16-year-old Indian girl who fell from the sixth floor of her apartment building in Umm Al Quwain on Sunday. The two latter cases are suspected suicides.
