Police investigate deaths of family after 36th-floor fall in London

Police are investigating the deaths of Aditi Vijay Paralkar, Rakesh Narayan Pai and their nine-year-old son, Sid Pai Paralkar, after the family fell from the 36th floor of the Highpoint tower block in Elephant and Castle, south London. The fall on 27 May was from about 400ft, in a busy residential area near Castle Leisure Centre and St Mary’s Churchyard.

Metropolitan Police said the deaths were being treated as unexpected. Acting Det Supt Dan Whitten said officers were working to establish what happened, saying: “Our thoughts remain with Aditi, Rakesh and Sid's family and loved ones while we work at pace to establish the facts surrounding these tragic deaths.”

Emergency services were called at about 7:29am to 7:30am, with police, ambulance crews, London’s Air Ambulance and the London Fire Brigade all attending the scene. The response drew immediate attention in the estate and surrounding streets, where the Highpoint building dominates the skyline on Churchyard Row.

The case has raised wider questions for residents in Elephant and Castle because it unfolded in a densely populated area where people said they saw or heard the fall. Some residents also reported hearing shouts and screams from the apartment in the weeks beforehand, adding to scrutiny over whether any warning signs were missed. Police have not said what led to the fall and continue to investigate the circumstances.

The family, later identified by police, had been living in one of the area’s high-rise luxury blocks. Reports said Rakesh Pai was 47 and Aditi Paralkar was 46, while Sid was nine. Local MP Neil Coyle said Sid was severely ill, or terminally ill in some accounts, and that the family had been struggling to cope with his condition, a detail that has intensified concern about possible mental-health support gaps as well as building-safety issues.