A newborn baby is today fighting for its life after a heavily pregnant woman plunged to her death from a 17-storey tower block.
The little baby is today receiving ‘critical care’ after a woman, aged in her 30s, fell to her death from Shakespeare Towers in Burmantofts, Leeds, yesterday morning.
The child was delivered in hospital.
Officers do not believe there are any ‘suspicious circumstances’ in connection with the pregnant woman’s death.
One shocked resident who lives on the 14th floor told how he had heard a ‘thud’ followed by screaming.
He told the BBC: ‘It’s a shock to everybody, to the whole community.’
Last night a small bunch of flowers could be seen resting up against a bollard outside the block of flats in tribute to the young mother-to-be.
Labour councillor Luke Farley described the incident as ‘deeply distressing’ and said the area was home to a number of young families.
He said: ‘I also want to reassure residents that there will be a police presence there over the next day or so.’
A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said yesterday: ‘At 10.24am today, police were contacted by the ambulance service who had been called to an incident where a woman had fallen from height at.
‘The woman died at the scene as result of her injuries.
‘There were no suspicious circumstances and the Coroner’s Office has been informed.
‘The woman, aged in her thirties, was in the late stage of pregnancy and her baby was delivered at hospital after the incident and is receiving critical care.’
The flats are owned by Leeds city council who recently spent £4.5million refurbishing the block, which was built in the 1960s, to ‘improve energy efficiency’.
The works included fitting new external wall insulation.
has contacted Leeds city council for comment.