DUBAI: The man who fell to his death from the Burj Khalifa landed on the 124th floor where the observatory deck At The Top is located, Dubai Police said on Wednesday.
While police have insisted it was a suicide, the Indian Consulate has said the man "fell from Burj Khalifa".
Colonel Ali Ahmad Ganem, Director of Bur Dubai police station, said the South Indian man who worked for a construction firm in the Burj Khalifa jumped from the 148th floor. He said the man took his shoes off and left his dairy on the floor before climbing on an air vent.
He warned the public against believing unconfirmed reports, adding that the man had psychological problems due to his brother's death.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Indian Consulate identified the man as Athiraman Kannan. A statement issued by the Consulate said 38-year-old Kannan, who hailed from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, was employed by Arabtec as a cleaner in the Burj Khalifa.
"Investigations on this death are currently being undertaken by the police," the consulate's statement said, adding that all assistance would be provided in sending the body to the family after completing the formalities.
Repeated attempts by XPRESS to get a comment from Arabtec met with no success on Wednesday and Emaar said it had no details.
Tourists affected
Police earlier said their operations room received a call about a ‘suicide' at the tower on Tuesday morning, following which they sent a team to the scene.
Tourists were barred from around 11am to 6pm from visiting At The Top. A European tourist guide confirmed her clients were rebooked to visit the viewing platform at a later date.
Although it was business as usual on Wednesday as hundreds of tourists waited for their turn to take the high-speed lift to the viewing deck, speculation was rife about why and how the man actually fell to his death. Unconfirmed reports claimed the worker left a note saying his leave had been refused.
Reports on Tuesday said the man jumped from an air vent on the 148th floor and landed on a terrace on the 108th floor, hitting some metal barriers along the way. A health and safety engineer at a company involved in the construction of the 828-metre tower said he was unable to tell whether anyone could have a free fall through an air vent, as they no longer had access to the building after handing it over to Emaar.
It was not clear whether Kannan had access to the 148th floor or whether he had breached security. There are also questions being raised about how he could so easily jump off a tower that boasts the highest standards of safety.
Sources said the Burj Khalifa building has advanced multi-alarm sensors throughout the building with a home automation system that displays any emergency information to occupants in a flash.
