UAE | General

18-month-old boy plunges to death from Sharjah tower

18-month-old toddler tumbles out of window after climbing nearby table

  • By Aghaddir Ali, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 19:06 January 27, 2013
  • Gulf News

Sharjah: An 18-month-old Indian boy fell to his death after tumbling out of the window of his parent’s apartment in Sharjah on Friday, police said.

Major Mansour Al Shamsi, director of the investigations department at Al Hira police station, said the toddler, identified only as A.A., fell from a fifth-floor apartment window in Al Majarah area.

He was reportedly the first and only child of the family. The toddler suffered multiple fractures and internal bleeding, Major Al Shamsi added.

Officials were told the incident took place when the boy’s mother went into the kitchen to prepare lunch for the family while his father was in the washroom.

Major Al Shamsi said the parents told police that the toddler managed to access the window after climbing a nearby table. He then opened the window and plunged to his death, Major Al Shamsi added.

Upon receiving a call to the police operations room reporting the incident, officials from the police, forensics and investigations were dispatched to the scene, which was “thoroughly inspected.”

Initial investigations indicated that the child fell from an unlocked window. The boy’s father is said to have rushed him to Al Zahra Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The body has been transferred to the hospital morgue while the family tries to repatriate the body after completing legal formalities.

Meanwhile, Colonel Sultan Abdullah Al Khayal, director of the media and public relations department at Sharjah Police, expressed his regret over the incident.

Colonel Al Khayal stressed the responsibility of parents in applying safety measures at home and warned against leaving children unsupervised.

He also suggested that windows not in use be locked securely and preventive barriers be installed. Many windows have slide locks that can be easily opened by children, he pointed out.

Comments (7)

  1. Added 13:22 January 28, 2013

    I have one daughter and I am living in sharjah, in my opinion what I suggest is that if you have a kid less than 2 year please try to stay on low floors (1st floor is better, as I am living 1st floor), we know that municipality will fine if we make any barriers on windows, we are the one look after our kids, so safety should come from our side first,

    Anonymous, sharjah, India

  2. Added 12:59 January 28, 2013

    I have lived in many places around the world where there were never bars on the windows (except in prisons) and it was unheard of that kids fell out of windows. When will parents here finally accept responsibility for watching over their children?

    Louie Tedesco, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  3. Added 12:39 January 28, 2013

    Tables, chairs, or any elevated furniture or stuff should not be placed beside the window especially if you have a toddler or a child. this is the stage when a baby does a lot of things and discovers a lot. All precautionary measures must be observed by everybody, and in this case by the parents.

    Anonymous, shj, United Arab Emirates

  4. Added 12:14 January 28, 2013

    Before moving into the apartment i made sure that i will ammend the windows and will put the locks. Alhamdulillah, the windows are safe now and i keep the windows closed, even if my toddler is away or inside the house, you can forget to close the window when the child comes back from school.

    Anonymous, Ajman, United Arab Emirates

  5. Added 11:40 January 28, 2013

    I don't know why the authorities are not taking strict action against building safety. It is a must to have all windows covered with grills (iron rods). Authorities should ask building owners to take this action with limited time frame or else has to fine or seize the property.

    mohammad, dubai, United Arab Emirates

  6. Added 11:05 January 28, 2013

    what a tragic moments. How can we protect our children? this is Sharjah building responsibility. One family tried to protect by putting irons bars and they got fined by Sharjah authorities as GN reported.

    Anonymous, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

  7. Added 10:03 January 28, 2013

    There was this one thing I was always concerned when I came from India to live here, windows have no bars and are easily accessible for even toddlers. I keep my windows closed all the time with full curtains and open them only when my 2yr child is gone to nursery. Even on balconies in many buildings I have noticed the bars placed have spaces in between for a toddler to easily push through. Kids don't always listen to parents in curosity to know themselves. My suggestion is to make sure all living areas are kids safe. Thank you.

    Anonymous, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

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