Man jumps to death off world's tallest tower in Dubai

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A view of Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai, October 25, 2010. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

A view of Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai, October 25, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Ahmed Jadallah

DUBAI | Tue May 10, 2011 11:48am EDT

DUBAI (Reuters) - A man threw himself off the world's tallest building in Dubai, its developer said, plummeting to his death in the first suicide from Burj Khalifa tower.

The man, believed to be in his twenties and of South Asian background, jumped from the 147th floor of the 828-meter (2,717 feet) skyscraper and landed on a terrace on the 108th floor, local daily The National reported, but those details were not confirmed by the building's developer.

Emaar said it had a recorded an "incident involving a male" at its Burj Khalifa site Tuesday morning.

"The concerned authorities have confirmed that it was a suicide and we are awaiting the final report," the statement said. It gave no further details on the incident.

The man may have worked at a company inside the 160-storey building, the paper said, adding that police said statements showed a holiday he had requested was turned down.

(Reporting by Erika Solomon and Sara Anabtawi; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Andrew Heavens)

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Comments (10)
Sumpoura wrote:
A simple comment I have here concerning language issue: the word “burj” is an arabic word meaning tower. So, why don’t you use “Khalifa tower” instead of “Burj Khalifa tower” mentioning it.

May 10, 2011 12:15pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
DrDuude wrote:
Imagine jumping off a building falling 40 floors only to land on the 108th floor? I wonder how long before a skydiver takes a shot.

May 10, 2011 10:39pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
LondonSam wrote:
This is truly a giant leap forward!

May 11, 2011 7:42am EDT  --  Report as abuse
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