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KUALA TERENGGANU – A seven-year-old autistic girl died after falling from the 13th floor of the Ladang Tok Pelam Apartments here.
Kuala Terengganu police chief Assistant Commissioner Azli Mohd Noor said the department received a call at about 7.50am reporting a young girl lying in the sixth-floor parking area, believed to have fallen from a 13th-floor window.
"The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by a medical officer from Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah (HSNZ)," he said in a statement today.
He said investigations and a post-mortem at 2.30pm today found no foul play in the death of the victim, and that severe blunt-force injuries from the fall were identified as the cause of death.
Azli added that investigations showed the victim's family had rented the homestay unit to attend an entrepreneurship seminar at Yayasan Pembangunan Usahawan today.
He said the victim's mother only realised her daughter was missing after another resident informed her at about 7am.
"When she woke at 6am, the mother found her daughter still asleep. She left her alone in the bedroom and went to the living room to pack clothes and get ready to leave.
"However, a man suddenly knocked on the door and informed her that a young girl had fallen onto the sixth floor of the apartment building," he said.
Meanwhile, the victim's mother, Nor Azera Ismail, 36, from Kampung Lepah, Pasir Puteh, Kelantan, said she had felt uneasy since the night before over her child's safety, as the bedroom window of the homestay unit had no grille.
She said she and her husband, Mubi Mat Husin, 38, had planned to check out and look for safer accommodation this morning.
"I set off from Pasir Puteh, Kelantan after Friday prayers and arrived at the homestay at about 9.30pm. Around midnight, when we were about to sleep, she tried to open the window. That was when I started to feel uneasy.
"I looked for something to secure her safety but could not find a rope. Eventually, I found a ribbon from a floral egg gift and tied our hands together so I would wake up if she got up or wandered off," she said when met at the Forensics Department of HSNZ here today.
Azera said the incident happened quickly, as her child, the third of four siblings, was still sound asleep when she woke up at about 6am.
However, while she was getting ready in the living room at about 7am, she was startled by loud, repeated knocking at the front door.
"Another occupant came and asked if my daughter had fallen. I rushed into the room to check and when I looked out of the window, I found her lying in the car park area below.
"I immediately called my husband and we rushed down. Only God knows how devastated I felt. I had already packed our things to leave the homestay and find another place – all that was left was to wake my child up. I never expected this to happen," she said.
Nor Azera said she was supposed to attend an entrepreneurship seminar today and had planned to return to Kelantan tomorrow morning.
Azli advised the public not to speculate on the case or circulate photos of the victim, out of respect for the grieving family.
Keeping children safe in high-rise stays
Malaysia does not currently mandate window grilles in high-rise residences under its Uniform Building By-Laws (UBBL), though building management or owners may install them voluntarily. Child safety advocates, including paediatrician Datuk Dr Amar Singh HSS, have repeatedly called for this to change, along with mandatory window restrictors limiting openings to 10cm–12cm and childproof locks on windows, balconies and sliding doors.
For parents and guardians staying in apartments, condominiums or homestays, especially with young or vulnerable children, safety experts recommend:
- Checking window grilles and locks on arrival, particularly in bedrooms where a child will sleep
- Moving beds, chairs, sofas and other climbable furniture away from windows and balcony doors
- Keeping balcony doors locked and windows opened only from the top where possible
- Never assuming a moment's absence is safe – researchers note that many falls happen when a caregiver briefly steps away
- Raising safety concerns immediately with hotel or homestay management and asking to be moved if a unit cannot be secured
If you need support: if you or someone you know is struggling with grief or a difficult loss, Befrienders can be reached at 03-7627 2929.
