USM student dies in eight-storey fall while attempting to retrieve clothes

GEORGE TOWN: Police have confirmed that a student from the School of Education Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), here, was found dead after he was believed to have fallen from the eighth floor of Desa Siswa Tekun two days ago, and there was no element of crime.

North East District police chief, ACP Soffian Santong said the 22-year-old student had slipped before he fell while trying to retrieve his clothes which had dropped from the clothes line on the eighth floor.

"They only realised that the victim had fallen when he did not return to his room. They immediately looked for him and found his body on the grounds of the hostel at about 10.30pm and informed the university management and police,” he said when contacted by Bernama on Wednesday (April 27).

He said police also denied that the victim had committed suicide, but it was a mishap and investigated as sudden death.

Yesterday, the media reported that the body of a 22-year-old student was found in the compound of a hostel building and police were informed about the incident last night.

Earlier, the story of USM student, Lukman Hakim Mat Rani, who was found dead after he was believed to have fallen from the hostel building went viral on social media.

Meanwhile, USM deputy vice-chancellor (Sustainability and Institutional Development), Prof Dr Md Roslan Hashim said USM had taken all the necessary measures including forming a work team to look into all the student facilities, especially at the hostels to ensure their safety. - Bernama