TANAH MERAH: A teacher died after falling off the balcony on the first floor of the school building, as he was making the final preparations for school reopening tomorrow.
The male teacher from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Batu Gajah, died from serious head injuries in the incident at 12.30pm today. He was 54.
Tanah Merah district police chief Deputy Superintendent Zainuddin Md Yusuf said the teacher was checking to make sure that sinks in the classrooms were working, when he slipped and fell.
"It was believed that that he climbed out of the classroom to the the balcony area at the back of the room, While stepping on a plastic chair, he slipped and fell from a three-metre height.
"He sustained serious head injuries upon impact with the drain and died on site," he said when met today.
Zainuddin said during the incident, the teacher and two friends were at the balcony while another teacher was in the classroom.
"We were told that teachers were at the school to make last-minute preparation for school reopening tomorrow."
"The victim taught Mathematics at the school for the last 17 years. He had five children."
He added the body was sent to Tanah Merah Hospital for post-mortem.