Sharjah: A 19-month-old girl was reported to be in a critical condition at Al Qasimi Hospital after falling from a second-floor apartment balcony, an official at Sharjah Police told Gulf News.
Sharjah Police said the fall occurred on Thursday evening at a building located in Industrial Area No. 4 around 11pm.
The girl was admitted to Al Kuwaiti Hospital but after her condition worsened she was moved to the Al Qasimi intensive care unit.
Police are investigating the circumstances of the incident and whether the toddler climbed onto a chair and fell over the balcony’s railing.
Sharjah has tightened safety rules after a string of fatal high-rise falls across the UAE.
There have also been suicides from residential towers recently.
At least a dozen people, including children, construction workers and maids, have fallen to their deaths since August while more than 20 people have died in 10 months this year compared with 10 deaths last year.
Officials warn that despite new safety rules, parental neglect can lead to more such tragedies. Some of the children who fell had been left alone at home by parents.
Civic and police officials are stepping up efforts to minimise these risks.
