Toddler in China falls 18 floors and dies after 5-year-old boy's lift prank

An innocent life may be lost due to even the most "harmless" prank.

Earlier this month, (July 3), the body of a two-year-old girl named "Lily" was found in a pile of trash on the second storey of a high-rise building in Changsha, China, according to Chinese media.

Investigations which looked into the building elevator's CCTV later revealed that three unsupervised toddlers aged two, four and five were in a lift with the button "9" pressed.

The five-year-old boy could be seen saying something to the two-year-old girl, before the girl started hitting on the doors repeatedly, seemingly wanting it to open.

The boy later tried to press the button for the 18th floor, jumping up and down. After the button was pressed, the lift arrived at the 9th floor.

The three kids exit the elevator, but footage then shows the five-year-old boy holding on to the little girl, dragging her back into the lift. He then leaves her inside as the kids watch the elevator doors close.

While it is unclear why the boy did so, it appears to be a prank that he wanted to pull on the young toddler.

Left in the elevator alone, the girl bangs on the doors a few times before the lift arrives at 18th storey and she walks out.

The CCTV footage ends there, but how did her body end up on the 2nd floor?

According to Chinese media, a faulty railing on the 18th floor was blamed, as it did not have a glass shield attached to it like how other railings on other storeys did.

A mark was also found on the guardrail, presumably belonging to the footprints of the girl.

These findings gave evidence to the theory that the girl had fallen over the unguarded railing and onto the pile of trash on the second storey.

Agonised by the tragic incident, residents of the building compound have since held a candle-lit vigil in remembrance of the girl.

So don't take chances parents and or guardians, as you never know if the one time you leave your kids unsupervised could be that one moment that will haunt you forever.

ongymm@sph.com.sg