A CCTV footage has captured the final moments of Italian-Nigerian volleyball star, Julia Ituma, who died after falling from 6th floor hotel window in Turkey.
The unfortunate incident occurred just hours after her team, Igor Gorgonzola Novara, was knocked out of their Champions League semi-final clash in Turkey.
The 18-year-old Italian volleyball star of Nigerian origin was found dead on Thursday morning, April 13, at her hotel in Istanbul, Turkey, following her team’s loss.
In the security footage from inside the hotel, Ituma is seen walking slowly while on the phone.
She then sat outside the door to her room for about an hour in a “pensive and thoughtful” way, before entering her room for the last time, police said.
The rising star and ‘next big thing’ in volleyball had been representing her team Igor Gorgonzola Novara in their second-leg knockout clash with Turkish side Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul, where she had scored two points despite their loss.
The circumstances surrounding the accident are currently unknown.
Following their 3-0 defeat, the Igor Novara players and staff had returned to the hotel when the tragedy occurred.
Reports from CNN Turkey said Ituma was found motionless on the ground outside the Valley Hotel at around 5.30 am on Thursday morning.
Paramedics and emergency responders arrived at the scene a short while later and she was pronounced dead.
Local police confirmed that they have launched an investigation into the incident. Her body has since been sent for forensic examination to determine the cause of the tragic death.
Ituma was born in 2001 in Milan to Nigerian parents and was considered one of the most promising talents in Italian volleyball. She started playing volleyball at the age of 11.
This was her first season with Igor Gorgonzola Novara, having transferred from Club Italia three seasons earlier. Ituma had just finished the season with Igor where they finished fifth in the national Serie A1 league.
