Maid dies in fall from 21st-storey balcony

Ethiopian woman latest victim in spate of falling tragedies.

SHARJAH // A maid has died after falling from the balcony of a 21st-storey flat in Al Majaz, police say.

Maj Mohammed Saeed Al Shehhi, the director of media and moral guidance at Sharjah Police, said the Ethiopian woman, 23, fell on Friday evening.

"A team from the CID and police rescue arrived on the scene and found the woman had already died," Maj Al Shehhi said.

"Her body was first taken to Kuwait Hospital but later, on the orders of the CID team, it was transferred to the police forensic laboratory to help in the investigations surrounding the death."

There have been a number of falls from high-rise buildings in Sharjah recently, mostly involving children.

Sharjah Municipality recently issued safety regulations for windows and balconies.

Windows in all new buildings must be at least 1.2 metres off the ground and in older properties must have devices to prevent them from opening wider than 10 centimetres.

Using verandas and balconies for storage is also banned because of the risk to children.