Boy, 11, dies in fall from 12-story apartment

An 11-year-old boy in northern Israel plunged to his death from a 12-story window on Tuesday afternoon.

Police said they were investigating the incident in Kiryat Yam, a suburb of Haifa.

Eyewitnesses said the boy had been trying to climb from a window in the hi-rise apartment to an adjacent balcony when he fell, according to Hadashot news.

Other news reports said the boy had fallen from the balcony.

He was taken to the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa in critical condition and later succumbed to his injuries.

The victim was not identified by authorities.

In July, a 5-year-old girl died after falling from a window of her family’s apartment on the ninth floor of a building in the coastal city of Netanya. Paramedics who arrived on the scene said the child’s mother found her in the parking lot of the building. She was declared dead at the scene.

At the time, Orly Silvinger, head of child safety organization B’Terem, told Hadashot news that it is vital that parents install safety features in their homes like window bars and keep children under supervision to prevent such tragedies from occurring again. She also recommended keeping furniture away from windows.

“Most deaths caused by a fall from a great height occur at home,” she said.