THE CONDITION OF a boy, who was allegedly thrown from a 10th-floor viewing platform at Tate Modern in London, has improved slightly but he remains in critical condition, police have said. 

A teenager was arrested yesterday after allegedly throwing the six-year-old boy from a tenth-floor viewing platform of the gallery. The child was found on a fifth-floor roof after the fall on Sunday afternoon.

The boy was airlifted to hospital where he remains in “a critical but stable condition”.  

The 17-year-old male suspect is currently being held on suspicion of attempted murder.

The Tate Modern, a leading contemporary art museum on the banks of the River Thames, was initially locked down but visitors were later allowed to leave yesterday.

Several members of the public gave witness statements.

Emergency crews attending the scene yesterday at the Tate Modern art gallery. Yui Mok / PA Wire/PA Images Yui Mok / PA Wire/PA Images / PA Wire/PA Images

Tate Modern said it is working closely with the police. Dominic Lipinski / PA Wire/PA Images Dominic Lipinski / PA Wire/PA Images / PA Wire/PA Images

“Police were called at around 2.40pm on 4 August to reports of a young boy thrown from the tenth-floor viewing platform of the Tate Modern,” the police statement said.

The six-year-old victim was found on a fifth-floor roof. He was treated at the scene and taken to hospital by London’s Air Ambulance.

Police said the suspect “remained with members of the public on the tenth-floor viewing platform. There is nothing to suggest that he is known to the victim”.

“The teenager was arrested by police officers on suspicion of attempted murder and taken into police custody.”

The Tate Modern is Britain’s top visitor attraction, with 5.87 million visits in 2018, according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.

The gallery tweeted to confirm yesterday’s incident, adding that it is “working closely with the police”. 

“All our thoughts are with the child and his family.” 

Additional reporting from - © AFP 2019