Onlookers' horror as woman killed in fall from Caley Hotel

PEDESTRIANS watched in horror as a woman fell to her death from the top floor of the Caledonian Hotel.

The deceased - an American businesswoman - appeared to jump from a ledge around 80 feet above Lothian Road, landing on the pavement at the height of the morning rush hour yesterday.

Big Issue seller Martin Kinloch, 30, from Balgreen, watched the horror unfold at 8.45am.

He said: "She was talking on the phone. Maybe someone was trying to talk her out of it.

"She started rocking backwards and forwards, then she stuck her head out and somersaulted towards the ground.

"It was terrible. I'm still shaking."

Police confirmed they were not treating the death as suspicious.

A Hilton spokesperson said: "We offer our sincere condolences to her family at this difficult time."