A 36-year-old man and his five-year-old daughter died after falling off the third floor of a building in Northeast Delhi’s Mustafabad on Tuesday. Police said the girl was playing on the roof when she slipped and fell. Her elder sister and father rushed to save her, but they too lost their balance and fell. The elder daughter suffered a fracture.
The incident took place around 11.30 pm. According to police, two sisters, aged 7 and 5, were playing in their house when the five-year-old, Safiya, slipped and fell. Her elder sister first rushed to save her, but she too fell off the third floor.
Neighbours and bystanders started screaming when they saw the girls fall. Their father, Asadullah (36), then rushed to save his daughters, but he too lost his balance.
A neighbour, who did not wish to be identified, said, “He was also trying to come towards the edge. We told him to stay back and asked him to come downstairs. He was panicking and kept looking at the ground. He too lost his balance. We saw him fall and tried to catch him. He fell on us and collapsed.”
The police were informed and the man and his daughters were rushed to hospital for treatment. During treatment, Asadullah and his younger daughter succumbed to their injuries. The elder daughter was discharged after treatment.
Police said Asadullah worked as an electrician and lived in a joint family.
An officer said, “We conducted an enquiry and don’t see any foul play. The neighbours also stated that the girls slipped and fell off the roof. Their father tried to save them but also died in the process.”
An investigation will be conducted to verify the sequence of events and enquiry details. Meanwhile, the family said they did not know what exactly happened and were alerted by the neighbours.
Ayesha, a relative of the family, said, “I was sitting with my children downstairs and heard screams. I ran outside and saw Asadullah’s daughters lying on the ground. Our neighbours had gathered outside our house and had tried saving Asadullah, but he also fell.”