British nuclear expert falls 120ft to his death

British nuclear expert falls 120ft to his death in Vienna

A British nuclear expert has fallen to his death from the 17th floor of the United Nations offices in Vienna.

Telegraph, 21 Oct 2009

The 47-year-old man, who has not been named, died after falling more than 120ft to the bottom of a stairwell.

He worked for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, an international agency charged with uncovering illicit nuclear tests.

A UN spokesman in the Austrian capital said there were no "suspicious circumstances" surrounding the man's death, while a police spokesman said that no other person was believed to have been involved.

No suicide note has been found.

The incident happened on Tuesday as the United States, France, Russia and Iran held talks close by aimed at cooling tensions over Tehran's nuclear programme.

Investigators refused to reveal any further background information on the official but confirmed an autopsy will be held.

Four months ago another UN worker also believed to be British fell a similar distance at the same building, according to other staff working there.