Lucca Romano slipped from his mother's arms and fell from the balcony at Pearson International Airport. (Submitted by family) The father of the toddler who died Sunday after a fall at Toronto's Pearson International Airport says his family is still trying to cope with an event that "was not supposed to happen."

Flavio Romano, speaking for the first time since his son Lucca's death on Sunday evening, said he and his wife Veronica and older son Massimo miss the 15-month-old boy who was "always smiling."

"I can't say enough about Lucca," he said. "He was always happy. He brought us happiness every moment. It is not easy. This is not something we would like to see happen again to anyone."

Peel Regional Police Const. J.P. Valade said Monday the boy's mother was holding him when she turned to pay attention to her four-year-old. Police said Lucca wriggled out of his mother's arms and fell to the lower concourse level at Terminal 1.

The child was rushed to hospital with serious injuries, but died late Sunday night.

Area 'not secure'

Flavio Romano said he and his wife Veronica plan to bury their son Lucca in Argentina. (CBC)

Police have ruled out foul play, calling the incident "a really unfortunate accident."

Romano said Friday he did not see what happened in the moment Lucca slipped free of his mother's grasp, but said he saw him fall.

He expressed concern about the safety of the area where the accident occurred, saying he felt the railing height was low and the area was too open and "not secure for anything."

Officials at the Greater Toronto Airports Authority had said earlier this week that the balcony partition was to code and called the fall an "isolated, tragic accident."

Family plans burial for Argentina

Romano said the loss of a son was hard on everyone, particularly his wife. But he said the family needs to move forward for the sake of their older son.

The Romanos were on their way to Argentina to have Lucca baptized. They had moved to Burlington, Ont., two weeks ago from Winnipeg, where they had lived for about 10 years.

The family is planning to return to Argentina to bury Lucca.

Romano thanked both family and strangers from across the country for the outpouring of support his family has received, saying many parents wrote or called to express their condolences, including some who had gone through similar tragedies.

"People have a lot of heart," he said of the response.

With files from The Canadian Press