British man survives 15th floor fall in New Zealand

Tom Stilwell fell from his neighbour's balcony in his apartment block in Auckland at 02:00 local time on Sunday (14:00 GMT on Saturday), reports said.

He was trying to lower himself onto his balcony, which was directly below his neighbour's, when he fell, police said.

His friends said that he had bone fractures and internal injuries, but was "fine" and "a very lucky man".

He was awake and laughing on Monday, but had no recollection of what happened, his friends told New Zealand newsgroup Fairfax Media.

"He looks alright," his flatmate, Beth Goodwin, said. "It's more internal injuries. He's broken some bones in his ribs and neck but they're not important bones."

In a statement , New Zealand police said: "It appears that the man was locked out of his 14th floor apartment. He fell while attempting to climb down the outside of the building from a 15th floor apartment directly above his, in an effort to gain access via his balcony."

There were "no suspicious circumstances surrounding the fall", the statement added.

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