British tourist falls 12 floors to his death

DUBAI // A British tourist has fallen to his death from a 12th-floor apartment balcony on to a crowded street below.

The man, believed to be in his thirties, had been in the country for 12 days and was staying with friends in their apartment at Waves tower in Dubai Marina.

Prosecutors and police forensic units were at the scene on Friday and friends of the dead man sat on the steps of the building consoling each other.

The man had been consuming alcohol at a hotel during the day and was taken home by a friend. "He stood outside on the balcony of the apartment and apparently lost his balance and fell directly on to the main road below the building," said Brig Gen Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansoori, head of the Criminal Investigation Department of Dubai Police.

Witness statements given by his friends showed no signs that the man had suicidal tendencies, Brig Gen Al Mansoori said. He was alone when he fell, there were no signs of a struggle and police have ruled out crime and foul play.

The Public Prosecutor has ordered the coroner's office to conduct a postmortem examination of the body.

An eye witness said the street outside the apartment tower was crowded when the tragedy happened.

"All of a sudden the man fell. It was horrible and everyone was shocked," said an employee at the nearby Byblos hotel.

"Police arrived quickly and cordoned off the area where the body landed."

The Foreign Office in London said the British Embassy would provide consular support to the dead man's family.

amustafa@thenational.ae