5-year-old boy falls to his death after he was locked inside 8th floor Woodlands office

5-year-old boy falls to his death after he was locked inside 8th floor Woodlands office

SINGAPORE - A five-year-old who was accidentally locked inside his parents' Woodlands Close office unit fell eight storeys to his death on Saturday (Jan 5). It is believed that he attempted to escape through a window.

The police said that they were alerted to a fall from height case at 11 Woodlands Close at about 9pm.

The boy was found lying motionless at the foot of the building. He was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

The police are investigating the unnatural death.

A priest performing rites near the Woodlands Close office unit where a boy fell eight storeys to his death after attempting to escape from the window, on Jan 6, 2019.Photo: Lianhe Zaobao

Chinese-language newspaper Shin Min Daily News reported on Sunday that the boy's parents had taken him to their office that day, and he had fallen asleep while they did some work.

The couple run an education centre, though there were no lessons held on Saturday.

When it was time to leave, the boy's father switched off the lights in the office and they drove home.

It was only when the couple arrived at the carpark of their home did they realise that they had left their son behind, Shin Min reported.

The child's mother, who gave her name only as Ms Hu, told Shin Min at the morgue: "Our home is only a five-minute drive from the office. I couldn't believe that when we rushed back to the office, we would see my son's body lying on the ground floor."

Ms Hu added that she noticed that the office window was opened when she returned to the scene.

She believed that her son, who was her youngest of four children, could have fallen from the window in a panic.

Speaking to Chinese-language daily Lianhe Wanbao on Sunday, Ms Hu said that she felt a sense of guilt over the tragic incident, adding that if her husband had locked the windows to their office, then they would not have lost their son.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.

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