Woman dies after falling from sixth-floor balcony in Old Montreal

MONTREAL – A 36-year-old woman has died after falling from a sixth-floor balcony in Old Montreal.

Montreal police spokeswoman Veronique Dubuc says the woman fell about 20 metres after passing over a railing to try to retrieve an object.

Police say several people were with the woman when the fall occurred at about 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Paramedics tried to revive the woman but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the incident occurred on Saint-Francois-Xavier Street, but refused to specify which building.

However, by 11 p.m. there was a significant police presence at the Hotel Bonaparte, and an American tourist reported seeing more than a dozen police cars racing to the scene.

“About 20 police ran down the street and rushed into the hotel,” Brett Henning told The Canadian Press.

Other tourists sitting at a restaurant facing the hotel said they didn’t see anyone fall or notice anything unusual before officers started arriving.