Latvian model dies after falling from ninth-floor balcony

A model has died after plunging nine floors from the balcony of a luxury apartment block and hotel.

Latvian Laura Pahomova fell from a high balcony at the 16-storey Light Boutique Aparthotel in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

The 23-year-old landed on another balcony below and was pronounced dead at the scene in Joiner Street. The lavish block was also housing some of the delegates at the Labour Party Conference.

Police said that they are not treating her death, at 11.30am on Sunday, as suspicious.
Miss Pahomova moved to Blackburn, Lancashire, four years ago from her native Latvia.
Her flatmate, who asked not to be named, said: 'Laura was my best friend. We are still trying to find out what happened, but the police said she fell.'  
 
Miss Pahomova had worked for several years as a model, with an extensive portfolio of work for local photographers and companies

On networking website ‘Model Mayhem’ she described herself as a Blackburn-based model and wrote: 'I am fun, enthusiastic, easygoing and have a funny accent '

Manchester-based photographer Dan Tyack, who had worked with Miss Pahomova, told the Manchester Evening News: 'She was a lovely girl. The last I heard from her she was in Latvia and was thinking about coming back to the UK.'

A spokesman for the hotel said Laura fell from a balcony in the ‘apartments’ section of the property.
The Light Boutique Aparthotel features 55 serviced apartments, located between floors six and 14 as well as several penthouse apartments.

Labour Party delegate Dina Livingston, 24, said: 'I was in my room having a nap when the police knocked on my door.

'They said a woman had fallen on to a balcony and died. I think they were unsure whether it was an accident or not and were asking all the guests what they had seen.

'I didn’t see anything myself but it’s harrowing for someone to lose their life like this.'
An eyewitness, who did not want to be named, said: 'It was quite a disturbing scene. There were loads of police cars, the street was closed off and there was tarpaulin covering the balcony.'

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: 'Officers attended and found that a 23-year-old woman had fallen from a balcony several floors up and landed on another balcony nine floors below.

'The woman suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.
'Inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding this woman’s death, but it is not believed to be suspicious.'
 

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