Toddler falls to her death crossing incomplete link bridge in Sabah

Two little girls tottered about hand in hand as their mum walked behind them and recorded the adorable scene on her mobile phone.

Moments later, one of them vanished from her sight.

The sisters were crossing a fifth-storey link bridge of a building in Sabah when tragedy struck on Dec 1.

They didn't know of the danger lying ahead of them — a sizable gap at the end of the bridge which the younger girl later fell through, Daily Express reported.

The 19-month-old was rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead at 4.30pm.

In the video taken by the girls' mum, there was no visible sign that alerted the public that the bridge, which was linked to a building under construction, was incomplete.

After watching the clip, some netizens commented that the parent was to blame for using her phone and not holding her daughters' hands.

Others defended her, saying that it was natural for her to think that her children were playing in a safe environment.

Majority of commenters, however, felt that the building management was responsible for the death because it failed to warn others of the safety hazard. Several others said they would not visit the building in the future.

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After the accident, photos circulating on Facebook groups show that the link bridge was cordoned off as forensic scientists inspected the scene.

The police have classified the case as sudden death. Investigations are ongoing.

The toddler's remains will be brought back to Johor for burial today.

lamminlee@asiaone.com