'Asylum seekers' die in tower block fall

Tests to establish the identities of two men and a woman who fell to their deaths from a 31-storey block of flats in Springburn are being carried out.

It is believed the three fell from the 15th floor of Block 63 at the Red Road flat complex.

Many of the flats are occupied by asylum-seekers from Kosovo, Africa, Asia, the former Soviet Union, Iran and Iraq.

Local resident Elaine Sandford said she believed the deceased were Kosovans.

"I think they had a letter through the door that said they (the Borders Agency) were coming back for them," she said.

"The same thing happened last year from another block but it wasn't as bad as this."

Positive Action in Housing director Robina Qureshi said: "We are concerned about who these people are and whether they were claiming asylum in this country, whether they had recently been given a negative decision by the UK Borders Agency and whether they were our service users or volunteers."

Glasgow Springburn Labour MSP Paul Martin said: "This is a terrible tragedy and the thoughts of myself and the community are with the families of those who died in this tragic event."

Glasgow North East Labour MP Willie Bain said: "What I think is important is that we improve the asylum system so that we get through these claims quicker.

"There's been a lot of progress made since 1997 - about 60 per cent of the standard cases are now dealt with within six months - but we need to continue to improve the system."

A Strathclyde Police spokesman said: "Inquiries are ongoing to establish the identities of the three people involved and post-mortem examinations will take place in due course to establish the exact cause of death. However at this time there does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances."

A spokesman for the UK Borders Agency said it would not be commenting on the incident until the identity of the individuals and their legal status had been established.