Penampang police chief Mohd Haris Ibrahim explained that when he used the word “membiarkan” in releasing information about the incident, he did not mean to blame the parents.

A girl aged a year and seven months was walking with her sister through a connecting corridor, said to be still under construction, at the building on Jalan Bundusan when she fell through a gap at one end of the walkway.

She was taken to hospital but died at 4.30pm. Police declined to reveal the name of the girl.

The family of the toddler, particularly the mother, was upset after reading media reports quoting the police as using the word “membiarkan” in its statement, suggesting the children were not supervised by an adult when the incident occurred.

“It was not meant to say the mother was not with them at the time but rather that she was not holding their hands.

“We did not make up a story as if to blame the mother. The statement was based on police investigation at the scene.

“Based on the CCTV recording, which has gone viral in social media, the mother is seen letting the victim walk in front of her with her elder sister.

“That is why I said ‘membiarkan’ but was misunderstood by the victim’s family which led them to speak to the media, sparking confusion,” he said.

The girl’s uncle, Roger Chow, had told a newspaper the family was shocked to read a report that implied the mother had not supervised her children at the time of the incident.

Chow said the mother was just behind the girls, recording a video of them as they walked through the corridor.

The mother also claimed in her police report that there was no sign put up by the building management to indicate the corridor was unsafe to use.