5-year-old girl dies after falling from 10th-floor balcony in southeast Delhi

A five-year-old girl died after allegedly falling from the 10th floor of a residential apartment building in Kalkaji Extension area of southeast Delhi, police said on Sunday.

Police said that they are probing all possible angles and examining CCTV footage to ascertain the sequence of events.

The child lived with her family in Asha Kiran Apartments, a 14-storey residential complex developed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The incident took place around 10.30 pm on Saturday.

According to preliminary investigation, the child had gone to sleep earlier in the evening but woke up while her parents were occupied with household work. As she could not find her mother, she allegedly walked towards the balcony and leaned over the railing while looking down, and accidentally slipped, police said.

She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead. Her father, Mithun Das, runs a fish shop in the area.

Police said a crime team inspected the spot and CCTV cameras installed in and around the apartment complex are being scanned to reconstruct the events leading to the fall. Investigators are also recording statements of family members, neighbours and other residents.

The child’s family blamed the lack of adequate safety measures in the high-rise building for the tragedy.

“If protective safety grills or netting had been installed in the balconies, our child might have been alive today. Such buildings must have proper safety arrangements for children,” a family member told PTI.

Another relative said the family was devastated by the incident.

“She had just woken up and was looking for her mother. Within moments, she was gone. No family should have to go through such a tragedy,” the relative said.

Further investigation is underway.