WASHINGTON, June 29, 2008 (AFP) - A fashion model from Kazakhstan fell from her New York City balcony and plunged nine stories to her death in what police called an apparent suicide, New York newspapers said Sunday June 29th.

Ruslana Korshunova (gauche) et Tatiana lors de la semaine de la mode à New York le 15 septembre 2005 - Photo : AFP

Ruslana Korshunova, who was to turn 21 on July 2, was known for her long chestnut locks and a "fairytale" face which graced the covers of Russian Vogue and French Elle magazines.

"I turned around just as she was about three feet (one metre) off the ground and then, boom, she hit," witness Ahmed Saad, 22, who was manning a nearby halal food cart, told the New York Daily News.

Investigators found no signs of a struggle inside Korshunova's apartment on Water Street in Manhattan's downtown Financial District.

She had returned to her one-bedroom apartment in the early hours of Saturday morning, reportedly giving no sign of the tragedy that would ensue in mid-afternoon.

"She came in this morning, she smiled, no sense of depression," doorman Mahmud Nakeeb, 45, told the Daily News. "She was a very sweet girl, always smiling, never depressed-looking."

Former boyfriend, Artem Perchenok, 24, told the New York Post he dropped her off at her apartment after they had watched the Demi Moore movie "Ghost."

"She was a good person," Perchenok said.

Korshunova was represented by powerhouse modeling agency IMG, which also handles the likes of Heidi Klum and Kate Moss. She appeared in advertisements for Christian Dior, Marc Jacobs, DKNY and Vera Wang.