6-year-old boy dies after falling from 15th floor of high-rise tower block in east London

A six-year-old boy has died today after falling more than 150ft from a high-rise tower block in London.

The youngster plunged from the 15th floor of Jacobs House on New City Road in Newham, just after 6am.

Scotland Yard is treating the death as ‘unexpected’ but no arrests have been made.

A relative said the boy’s father is currently in Canada and that both parents are ‘devastated’ and ‘in a bad way’.

One neighbour described the little boy as ‘lovely’ and says the grief-stricken mother could barely speak today.

People who live in the 1960s 16-storey block, where flats can cost up to £200,000, have been left in ‘utter shock’ by the youngster’s death and want answers about how it had happened.

She told the Evening Standard some of the family are at the hospital.

‘Other family members are in the flat,’ she said.

‘Apparently, the boy was up early and then fell from the window.

‘It was an accident but no one knows how it happened. People are looking for answers.’

Another parent told the newspaper he had was ‘scared’ of the windows when his child was young and had always locked them.

Council staff are currently at the block of flats reassuring residents and is tries to piece together what happened.

The Metropolitan Police said: ‘We were called at 5.58am on Thursday, May 16 to reports of a child having fallen from height at New City Road, E13.

‘Officers, London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance attended.

‘At the scene a six-year-old boy had fallen from an upper floor of an apartment block.

‘Despite the efforts of emergency services he sadly died at the scene. His family are aware and are being supported.

‘The death is being treated as unexpected and enquiries are underway to establish the full circumstances.’

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 5.59am today to reports of a person fallen from height on New City Road, Plaistow.

‘We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car and an incident response officer. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance.

‘Our first paramedics arrived on scene in approximately four minutes.

‘Very sadly, a child was pronounced dead at the scene.’

A spokesperson for Newham Council said they were ‘deeply sorry to hear about this devastating incident, we extend our sincere condolences to all those affected’.

They said: ‘We have staff at the location to provide reassurance to residents at this difficult time while we work with partners to establish the full facts.’