Student Dies in Library
A student died in the Vic library last Thursday around 2:15 pm.
The death, which has been described by the university as a “fatal accident”, is understood to have taken place in a stairwell within the Rankine Brown Building. Salient understands that the death was caused by a fall that resulted in fatal head injury.
At the time of publication, the university had confirmed that the deceased was a male student currently enrolled at Vic, but was unable to release further details until Police notified the next-of-kin.
Library staff were told to evacuate students shortly after the body was found. One student described the ensuing scene as “really crazy”, with many of the staff upset and confused over what was happening. Emergency services arrived shortly after to remove the body.
The handful who witnessed what happened were met by a Vic counsellor and interviewed by police while the remaining staff were sent home.
A karakia whakawatea (cleansing ritual) was performed on Thursday evening and a ceremony was held before the library reopened on Friday.
Gerard Hoffman, Head of Counselling at Student Health, urged anyone affected to contact the Counselling Services on 463 5310 or at 2 Wai-te-ata Road.
