Woman falls to death during Airbnb party in New Zealand

By: Jackie S.

A woman in New Zealand plunged to her death from the balcony of an Airbnb that had been rented for a party, according to reports.

The fatal fall occurred around 3:30 a.m. Sunday from the ninth floor of the Auckland Harbour Suites, NZ Herald reported.

The unidentified woman had been at a party in the apartment, which was an Airbnb rental, the outlet reported.

“My partner actually witnessed her earlier with drinks and all her friends, in quite a partying mood and everything,” Brad Morrow, who lives in the building, told Television New Zealand.

But later there was a loud noise followed by a bang and screams, witnesses told police.

A man who was a guest at the hotel across the street said that he saw a woman lying on the awning above the ground-level stores, while two other people remained on the balcony above, New Zealand outlet Stuff reported.

Paramedics responded to the scene and climbed onto the awning but were unable to save her, the outlet reported.

No further details were released about the fatal fall, but police said it wasn’t suspicious.

Airbnb said in a statement that it was “shocked and saddened by this tragic incident,” adding “we are fully committed to supporting police in their investigations.”

“The safety of our community is one of our top priorities and at the very center of everything we do — and we are devastated to hear of incidents such as these, regardless of how rarely they occur,” said Derek Nolan, who is the company’s head of public policy for New Zealand and Australia.