KOTA KINABALU (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - A 25-year-old woman who was six months pregnant fell to her death from her third floor apartment in the Malaysian state of Sabah on Tuesday afternoon (April 25).

Jaequiline Ribot was said to have been trying to put her mattress out to hang on the veranda prior to the 3pm incident.

It is believed that she lost her balance when a metal rod broke while she was pressing the mattress on it.

Her two-year-old toddler was at home with her during the incident while her husband and mother were at work.

Kota Kinabalu acting police chief Supt George Abd Rakman said a neighbour who was downstairs heard a loud thud and saw her body sprawled on the ground.

"The neighbour immediately informed the guard at their guardhouse and the person informed the police," he said in a statement.

Jaequiline's body has been sent to the hospital for a post mortem.

The case is being investigated as one of sudden death.