Woman stuck on parapet cries for help
PUBLISHED ONOctober 28, 2014 10:30 PMByFoo Jie Ying
From the kitchen window, it looked like someone in the unit directly facing her block had placed some clothes outside the window to dry.
But when domestic helper Nani Sulastri, 27, gave the same spot a second look, she gasped as the "clothes" started moving.
It turned out that a woman in her 30s was perched precariously on the parapet outside her fifth-storey flat at Bukit Purmei Road.
And this was not just some "ordinary" perch.
The woman was standing on a small blue stool - only slightly wider than a tissue paper box - which had been placed on the narrow parapet.
This incident happened on Tuesday at around 12.10pm, a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman said.
Speaking to The New Paper on Thursday, Ms Nani said she was horrified by what she saw.
"It's so dangerous and I was very scared for her. I didn't even dare to think what would happen to her if she had fallen down," Miss Nani recounted.
She added that she has read in the news about maids falling while cleaning windows, but this was the first time she had seen something similar.
As a domestic helper herself, Miss Nani, an Indonesian, is well aware of the dangers of cleaning windows.
"We must be very careful (when cleaning windows). My employer told me that I cannot clean the windows when there's nobody at home," she said.
Miss Nani, who was then airing the laundry, said she alternated between completing her task and watching the woman's every move.
She added that the woman, dressed in a black top and white shorts, had first stood outside on the ledge and tried to wipe the windows.
When she could not reach the higher parts of the window, someone from the flat passed her a stool.
Ms Nani then watched in horror as the woman placed the stool on the ledge and tried to climb on top of it.
"She tried to balance it on the ledge, but the stool started shaking. It was still too low for her (to reach the higher parts of the window)," she said.
And the drama did not end there.
Ms Nani, who has been working here for four years, added that she saw two people, each grabbing one arm, trying to pull the woman back into the flat.
This lasted for about 15 minutes and according to Ms Nani, they failed to get the woman back into the house.
"Maybe she was too heavy," she said with a chuckle.
Within seven minutes of being alerted, SCDF officers arrived in an ambulance, a fire bike and two fire engines.
RESCUE
The rescue, which took less than 15 minutes, involved three officers securing the woman with rescue lines before hoisting her back into the flat.
By then, some onlookers had gathered in the carpark.
One of them was businessman Lim Y.K., who was horrified by the woman's actions.
"I'm appalled! With all the stories about maids falling to death, you would think one would take extra caution when cleaning windows," said the 40-year-old who lives in a neighbouring block. He happened to be in the vicinity when the incident happened.
Another domestic helper, who wanted to be known only as Rose, also saw the woman on the parapet.
"I don't know why she had to stand there to clean the windows. There are other safer ways," she said.
The 30-year-old added that she cleans areas that are hard to reach by attaching a piece of cloth onto the end of a pole.
When The New Paper visited the Bukit Purmei flat on Friday, the family declined comment.
The woman's husband told Lianhe Wanbao that his wife is particular about cleanliness and was trying to clean the exterior of the bedroom windows.
He had no idea his wife was stuck on the parapet as he was watching television with his parents in the living room, until he heard her cries for help.
He added that his wife only sustained abrasions on her arms from the incident.
This article was first published on October 27, 2014.
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