Australian diplomat dies in New York building fall

An Australian UN diplomat has died after falling from a seventh floor of a New York City building.

Julian Simpson, 30, a Second Secretary at the UN, died on the Lower East Side in the early hours of Wednesday, the Australian reported.

Simpson had been out with his wife and friends before they returned home to admire the view of the Empire State Building, which was lit up in rainbow colours to celebrate Australia's gay marriage vote.

The Australian said Simpson was playing a "trust game" on the rooftop deck of the building when the accident happened. The game involved putting himself at risk and relying on one of his friends to catch him.

But before his friend could get prepared, Simpson accidentally slipped from the seventh-floor ledge of his Manhattan building and fell on a landing on the second floor.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described Simpson's death as a "shocking tragedy".

Simpson had been in the US for two years.

--IANS

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