A 12-year-old Russian girl died on Tuesday morning after falling from the seventh floor of the building where she lived with her mother in the northern Portuguese city of Braga.
Authorities were alerted shortly after 8am when panicked neighbours called emergency services, national tabloid Correio da Manhã (CM) reports.
Firefighters and paramedics from the Sapadores de Braga and INEM emergency institute arrived swiftly but found the child already dead in the building’s inner courtyard. The body was later taken for autopsy following initial forensic examinations.
According to CM, investigators found a handwritten note among the girl’s school materials. The contents, written in Russian, are still being translated and analysed.
Sources indicate that the girl had not wanted to attend school that morning, though the reasons remain unclear. She had reportedly struggled to adapt after moving to Portugal about six months ago, still learning the language and with few friends at school.
Her mother, also Russian and non-Portuguese speaking, is said to be in deep shock and has received psychological support. The girl’s father is believed to be living in another country, CM adds.
While investigators have found no indication of foul play, they are exploring every possible scenario, including the potential influence of online communities or games involving young people, the tabloid reports.
