PROVIDENCE — An 11-year-old girl from the Elmwood neighborhood died after she suffered a severe puncture wound to her leg when she jumped on or fell into a glass coffee table in the living room of her apartment, the police disclosed yesterday.

The victim was identified by the police as Christiana Sarty, of 285 Niagara St., Apartment 104, in the Niagara Place apartment building. After the accident occurred at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Christiana was rushed by city emergency medical technicians to Hasbro Children’s Hospital, where she died from uncontrollable bleeding, according to the police.

Maj. Thomas F. Oates III, commander of the Investigative Division, said in a statement that Christiana was with her 8-year-old sister when the accident occurred. When the glass shattered, the victim suffered some superficial wounds to her arm as well as the fatal wound.

Oates described the table as having metal legs with a glass top perhaps 3 feet long, 1½ feet to 2 feet wide and standing 1½ feet to 2 feet high.

In the moments after the accident, Christiana and her sister ran out of the apartment and reentered the south entrance of the building, to Apartment 103 where a woman was babysitting their 1-year-old brother, and where Christiana collapsed.

A resident of Apartment 101 heard the commotion, looked next door and, because the babysitter apparently had trouble with her telephone, called 911 for medical assistance.

While the police were at the building, Christiana’s mother, Miriama Sarty, 31, arrived home, and she was driven to the hospital.

Oates said the accident remains under investigation –– an autopsy was expected to be done –– and that the police have not yet had an opportunity to interview the mother. He said that it appears that the older children were in the habit of coming home, changing their clothes and then going to the babysitter’s apartment to await the arrival of their mother from work.

“It was a quite upsetting thing for everybody involved,” Oates said.

Miriama Sarty’s two daughters and son lived with her. The father of the daughters and the father of the son live elsewhere, according to Oates.

The police summoned a caseworker from the Rhode Island Department for Children, Youth and Families, who placed the 1-year-old boy in the care of his natural father, who lives in Providence. The DCYF assumed temporary custody of the 8-year-old girl, who was taken to Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket for routine physical and psychological evaluation.

gsmith@projo.com