A 7-year-old girl died after falling into a glass door while playing in an apartment in the southern Athens suburb of Kallithea, prompting police to arrest her 37-year-old aunt on suspicion of manslaughter by negligence.
The child was rushed without a pulse to the “Agia Sofia” Children’s Hospital on Tuesday, where doctors attempted for 40 minutes to revive her, but she succumbed to severe injuries to her abdomen, hospital sources confirmed.
According to initial reports, the girl had gone to visit her godparents' home with her aunt when the tragic incident occurred around midday.
While playing, she reportedly ran into a glass partition door on the balcony, which shattered on impact.
A neighbor who heard the incident described the scene as harrowing. “We heard a loud crash of glass and then heartbreaking screams.
The woman was crying out for several minutes,” the witness told Greek broadcaster Mega.
Another neighbor, who arrived moments later, said the girl’s aunt, a nurse by profession, attempted to stop the bleeding until paramedics arrived.
“She was pressing on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding,” the witness said. The young girl, though gravely injured, was able to speak in her final moments. “Auntie, I won’t play that game again,” she reportedly said, according to hospital sources.
Ambulances and police responded swiftly to the scene, with officers clearing the route to the hospital in a bid to save the child’s life. Authorities later arrested the aunt on charges of negligent homicide and failure to supervise a minor. The child’s parents, local bakery owners in the area, also have a 5-year-old son. The incident has sent shockwaves through the community and reignited public concern about home safety and child supervision.
No further statement has been released by the family at this time. An investigation is ongoing.