A PROPERTY salesperson has been arrested over the death of a 2-year-old girl that occurred while he was showing the girl’s parents a new apartment in Longgang District, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday.

The girl accidently fell from a balcony of the 10-story building, where her parents were looking at the apartment May 7. The salesperson, surnamed Yan, was detained the next day and his arrest was approved May 19.

According to the girl’s mother, they realized that their daughter had disappeared when they were looking at the view from the balcony. After searching the apartment to no avail, they discovered that the guardrail on the right side of the balcony did not have glass installed, and it was then that they saw their daughter’s body on a platform between the first and second floors.

The mother’s claim about the balcony was verified by the Southern Metropolis Daily, whose reporter measured the space between the bars at about 120cm wide and 90cm high and saw that it would be easy to confuse the empty spaces for having glass.

Red ropes have been tied between the bars due to safety concerns following the tragedy. However, many guardrails without glass installed can be seen on the balconies on the opposite side.

The girl’s father, surnamed Li, said that the real-estate developer should be held responsible for his daughter’s death. A spokesperson of the developer, surnamed Ma, said that the matter would be taken care of and that they would take responsibility for whatever is necessary.

The day before his arrest, Yan’s wife gave birth to their first child. Yan also has a 59-year-old mother who has been diagnosed with multiple severe diseases, such as ovarian cancer.

Similar accidents are not rare. For instance, on Dec. 5 last year, a 3-year-old girl fell to her death from a 21st floor. A police investigation indicated that the guardrail had only been 1.3m tall, and that the property management company had prohibited owners from installing their own safety equipment.

According to Ma, multiple government departments have intervened since the accident. The company has also sent people to visit Yan’s wife and is currently negotiating with the Li family for compensation, Ma added.

Yan is now in custody for the offense of causing a major accident. (Lei Kaibin)