A view of the Burj Khalifa tower in downtown Dubai, May 10, 2011. A man threw himself off the world's tallest building in Dubai, its developer said, plummeting to his death in the first suicide from Burj Khalifa tower. – Reuters Photo

DUBAI: An unidentified Asian man jumped to his death on Tuesday from the 147th floor of Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, slamming into a terrace 39 floors below, police said.

“The police operations room received a call about a suicide at the Burj Khalifa today, and investigation teams were immediately dispatched,” Dubai police said.

He crashed onto the terrace of the 108th floor.

Police said the man was employed at a company located in the imposing 828-metre (2,716-feet) building. The National newspaper said on its website that he had asked for a holiday and been denied it.

Local news reports said the man, believed to be in his 30s, became the first to commit suicide from the 160-storey building, which broke engineering and architectural records when it opened in January 2010.

A high-speed elevator ride to an observation deck at level 124 can cost up to 400 dirhams ($110).

An Emirati, Nasser al-Neyadi, jumped from the building in January 2010 to set a sky diving record, according to the owners.