SINGAPORE - A 14-year-old girl is believed to have been practising parkour when she fell to her death at Spectra Secondary School on Tuesday (Oct 20) morning.
Secondary 2 student Shina Adriana Hendricks was trying to jump from the corridor on the fourth floor of the school building to the third floor when she missed the ledge and fell to the ground floor, according to Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao.
The girl was apparently heading to the toilet with her classmates when she decided to attempt the jump, and she died after sustaining injuries from the fall.
Parkour is an extreme sport in which practitioners get from one point to another in the fastest possible way. Movements involved include climbing walls and jumping over obstacles such as stairwells and between buildings. Enthusiasts, who can practise alone or in groups, often perform these moves without equipment.
The school's principal, Mr Krishnan Aravinthan, told The Straits Times: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of our student. The school is providing support to the family as well as to the school community."
He did not comment further on the case as police are investigating.
The police received a call for assistance at about 9.30am on Tuesday. Officers found the girl "lying motionless" on the ground.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force sent an ambulance and fire bike to the school in Woodlands and the teenager was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun.
She was later transferred to KK Women's and Children's Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
According to the Chinese evening dailies, the girl's parents and two sisters, aged 22 and 25, were at the mortuary on Wednesday.
Her father, Mr James Hendricks, 52, received a call from the school at around 10am on Tuesday informing him of the incident.
He told reporters at the mortuary yesterday morning that he was still unclear what happened but believed it was an accident. Mr Hendricks added that his daughter was a jovial girl who brought the family a lot of joy and laughter.