Dubai: Five-year-old girl falls off ninth floor balcony to her death

A five-year-old girl plunged to her death from a balcony on the ninth floor of a building in Dubai, Gulf News has learnt.

According to an official in Dubai police, the Arab girl was on the balcony of her parent’s apartment in Al Nahda area when she fell to her death on Sunday afternoon.

Dubai police were alerted about the incident, and police patrols with experts from forensic department went to the scene to investigate the circumstances of the death.

“We are still investigating in the incident and initial reports showed that there is negligence from the family, which led to the death of the child,” the official said.

The incident is the second such death within days in the UAE, after reports of a 13-month-old child plunging to death in Sharjah on Sunday.

The 13-month-old climbed onto a chair near a window, slipped and fell. Police have said negligence was to blame for the Sharjah incident, too.

Meanwhile, Dubai police urged parents to monitor their children in residential buildings, especially the ones with balconies.

“Children in this young age doesn’t have proper awareness about the dangers of playing or getting closer to the edges or windows. Parents should take the responsibility and secure the windows even in their presence. Don’t leave children alone in the balconies as one second of neglect can lead to death,” the official added.