Boy dies after falling off roof in apparent copycat stunt

By a Staff Reporter

A NINE-year-old boy died in the early morning hours yesterday after falling from a rooftop in the Larnaca district village of Mosfiloti.

Eyewitnesses said Michalis Petrou was playing with his friends on Thursday; he was trying to slide down a rope fastened to his house’s rooftop, but the knot gave way. The boy fell six metres onto the concrete floor, sustaining heavy injuries to the head and arms.

His parents rushed him to Larnaca hospital, but doctors there advised transfer to Nicosia General Hospital for a full CT scan. The boy was treated in the intensive care unit, but succumbed to his wounds a little after 2am.

Larnaca police chief Ioannis Diaouris said yesterday that apparently the boy was trying to imitate a stunt shown on a popular TV series. Diaouris added that both the media and parents should be careful of what children watch on TV.

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