Woman dies after fall in Ostrava shopping centre, Czechia

A woman fell from a height of about 12 metres in a shopping centre in Ostrava on Wednesday evening and died in front of shoppers. Doctors fought for her life but could not save her. According to police, there were no signs of third-party involvement at the scene.

Police received an emergency call about an unconscious woman at around 8:30 p.m. Witnesses gave the victim first aid, and a few minutes later police officers who arrived at the scene took over. “Witnesses were the first to help the victim, and within minutes they were relieved by police officers,” police spokeswoman Eva Michaliková said.

Fighting for her life at the scene

Paramedics arrived shortly after the police patrol. According to Lukáš Humpl, spokesman for the Moravian-Silesian rescue service, the medics performed continuous chest compressions, secured her airway and connected her to a ventilator. To administer medication they had to establish intraosseous access, and they also needed to surgically treat a chest injury.

Despite the best efforts of everyone working at the scene, the doctor stopped resuscitation and pronounced the woman dead.

What is known about the investigation

Officers at the scene ruled out the involvement of anyone else. Detectives from the first general crime department in Ostrava are looking into the circumstances of the tragedy, Michaliková said. The cause of the fall has not yet been disclosed.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz