Abu Dhabi: A five year-old child died after falling from the balcony of his home on the second floor of the building on Al Muroor Road in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Brigadier General Maktoum Al Sharifi, Head of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Police Department said that a preliminary assessment of the incident indicates that the boy, H.A. of Arab nationality walked towards the balcony without alerting his parents, who were at home at the time.
He then proceeded to climb a concrete coloumn which led him to a metre-high aluminium fence near the window.
The boy lost his balance, fell off the fence and died after hitting the ground.
According to a witness from the furniture store in the same building, H.A was suffering from autism and had the tendency to wander off if he was not being constantly supervised.
Lieutenant Colonel Rashid Khalaf Al Thahiri, Director of the Abu Dhabi Community Police, urged parents and caretakers to constantly supervise children at home and outdoors, as well to seal windows and close off hallways leading to balconies.
According to Al Thahiri, these safety procedures must be taken to ensure the wellbeing of children and to prevent similar tragedies from taking place.
