Teen dies after falling four storeys at Orchard Central, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
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Teen dies after falling four storeys at Orchard Central

This article is more than 12 months old

A 17-year-old died from his injuries after he fell from the fourth-storey link-bridge between Orchard Central and Orchard Gateway yesterday afternoon.

The Straits Times understands that the teen was taking a photo with his mobile phone along the bridge.

The phone fell onto a ledge and he was believed to be trying to retrieve it when he lost his balance and fell.

Ms Ching Wan Ting, 24, a manager-in-training, was standing near her shop front when the incident happened.

"We heard the sound of concrete cracking, and the body fell there," she said, gesturing to the cordoned-off space about 5m from where she had been.

"My first reaction was to call the ambulance, and after that the trauma of seeing such a thing set in."

Her colleague, Daria Chong, 17, said the boy landed on his right side, and there was a pool of blood beneath him.

She added that they did not hear any screams.

Some passers-by stopped to help, and one started administering CPR on him before the paramedics arrived.

Photos of the scene sent to The Straits Times and posted on social media showed a hole in the ledge beside the walkway linking the malls on Orchard Road.

"Please don't be careless, life is so fragile... at Orchard Central a few mins ago. Someone climbed over the railing and the flooring broke," said Twitter user Spliffany.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the incident at 4.05pm.

A young man was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and paramedics administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation en route to the hospital, SCDF said.

Police said he died in the hospital.

"This afternoon, a member of the public vaulted the railing of the level four link bridge between Orchard Central and Orchard Gateway onto a ledge and subsequently fell to the atrium," said Ms Mavis Seow, chief executive officer of Far East Organisation's retail business group.

"He was rushed to the hospital. We are deeply concerned and are currently assisting the police with their investigations of the incident."

chuimin@sph.com.sg

tammei@sph.com.sg

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