Boy, five, dies in fall from Ajman balcony



AJMAN // A five-year-old Egyptian boy fell to his death from the eighth floor of a building in Nuaimiya area, just behind GMC Hospital, police said today.

The accident happened at about 9pm on Wednesday when the boy, sleeping in the family's apartment, woke up and walked out an open window, said Col Rashid Jassim Al Mujalad, director general of Ajman Police Operations.

The boy, identified as AM, was apparently alone in the apartment, he said.

"The accident happened in the absence of his two parents," he said. "The father was at work in Abu Dhabi and the mother had left him sleeping to go for Taraweh prayers."

Police were called and dispatched officers and an ambulance. The boy was carried to GMC Hospital, where the doctor at the emergency department pronounced him dead.

Col Al Mujalad said parents should be careful not to leave their children alone, as this exposes them to risks of fire and falling.

"The fall of children from high elevated windows and balconies has become a common accident, frequently reported to the police," he said. "Under no circumstance should children be left alone without being attended by elders. The majority of all reported fall accidents of children mainly occur due to family negligence. The mother left the home thinking the boy will be safe, as he was sleeping."

ykakande@thenational.ae


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