An involuntary manslaughter investigation has been launched against the owner of a house in Liège where one child was killed and another seriously injured after the railing of the balcony they were on collapsed, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Both eight-year-old boys were rushed to the hospital on Tuesday evening after the iron railing of the second-floor balcony in which they were playing collapsed sometime between 21:00 and 22:00.
One child remains in the hospital in a critical condition while the other one died from his injuries shortly after being admitted.
The family of the boy in a critical condition had been living in the house for two months, where the deceased child had been invited for a playdate.
Both boys were running and riding a scooter from the balcony to the living room when the railing of the balcony's guardrail dropped, taking both boys down with it.
The owner of the house said that he had recently carried out renovations inside the eight-year-old property but "had not touched" the balconies, which appeared to be in good state, according to Sudinfo.
The assessment of the state of the property by an expert will help prosecutors determine the extent of the owner's liability and the exact circumstances leading to the deadly fall, the outlet reported.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
