AN IRISH WOMAN in her 20s has been killed after falling from a balcony at a university where she was studying abroad in Cyprus.

The woman, named in local reports as Jerel Joy, is believed to have been killed after she fell from the fifth floor of a building at the Near East University of Nicosia on Monday.

It is understood she had been studying dentistry in Bulgaria since completing her Leaving Certificate in recent years, and was in Cyprus as part of a year abroad.

The woman’s parents are also understood to be members of the Malyali community from Kerala in south-west India, and both live and work in north Dublin.

Another member of the Irish Malyali community told TheJournal.ie that locals were “in shock” following the woman’s sudden death.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it did not comment on individual cases but said it was providing consular assistance to the family of an individual in Cyprus.