Three-year-old dies after falling from AC vent on 17th floor flat in Ghaziabad

A three-year-old boy allegedly died after falling from the 17th-floor open shaft of the AC unit in his house at a high-rise adjacent to National Highway - 9 near Wave City in Ghaziabad late Sunday night, police officials said on Monday.

The police said they received information about the incident around 9pm via a memo from a local hospital. A team rushed to the spot and found that the child was declared brought dead.

The officials said the incident happened around 8.30pm on Sunday, when the child went to the shaft opening because the AC had been taken for repairs and the opening was not plugged.

"The child's family stays on rent in the 17th-floor flat. It has come to light during the initial investigation that the AC was sent for repairs and that the shaft was open. The child, unknowingly, went to the open area while playing and fell right through to the ground floor. The guards and residents spotted the child because of the loud noise and informed his family. The child was rushed by his family and neighbours to the nearest hospital, where he was declared dead," Shailendra Singh, SHO of Wave City police station, told HT.

The police said the family did not file any complaint and also declined to get an autopsy conducted.

"As of now, we have not spoken much to the family as they are in a state of shock and trauma after the death of the child. Normally, AC vents are installed at a height in households, but the vent in the flat was near the floor, and the child fell through it. We will investigate further. The child's father is a businessman," SHO added.