A 52-year-old man died after falling from the 18th floor of a building in Wadala, central Mumbai, on Sunday, while trying to defecate from the edge of a shaft, police said.

The incident took place at Matoshree Sadan, an 18-storey building, according to an official from RAK Marg police station. The man was a resident of the same building and had been suffering from dysentery (a condition causing severe diarrhea) for the past few days.

Police believe the man went to the top floor for some work when he suddenly felt the urge to relieve himself. He then sat down near a lift shaft to defecate but unfortunately lost his balance and fell into a pit on the ground floor.

The official said, "He sat to defecate on the edge of a shaft near a lift but lost his balance and plunged into a pit on the ground floor."

After the fall, fire brigade personnel and the police were called to the spot. They managed to retrieve the man from the pit and took him to a nearby hospital, but doctors declared him dead, the official added.

Police have registered an accidental death report (ADR), and further investigation is underway.

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