Manly woman Akiko Kiryu remembered as 'lovely' after plunging to her death

Manly woman Akiko Kiryu remembered as 'lovely' after plunging to her death
Manly woman Akiko Kiryu remembered as 'lovely' after plunging to her death

Friends of a Japanese woman who plunged from a building into a busy laneway say they regret not asking her if she was okay before she died.

Akiko Kiryu, 52, fell to her death in a lane between StarChem Pharmacy and Hungry Jacks on The Corso at Manly, in Sydney's northern beaches, at 11.20am on Saturday.

Devastated friends said they were shocked by the sudden death as they described Ms Kiryu as a 'happy and smiling' person. One said they wished they had checked in on her mental health.  

'Very sad news today that our lovely friend Akiko has passed away,' they wrote on Facebook. 'Only if we had asked her "are you okay"!' 

Ms Kiryu was living without family after moving from Japan. Residents say she created her own kind of family after living in the community for 30 years.

Friends of a Japanese woman who plunged from a building into a busy laneway say they regret not asking her if she was okay before she fell to her death

Friends of a Japanese woman who plunged from a building into a busy laneway say they regret not asking her if she was okay before she fell to her death 

Devastated friends said they were shocked by the sudden death as they described Ms Kiryu as a 'happy and smiling' person

Devastated friends said they were shocked by the sudden death as they described Ms Kiryu as a 'happy and smiling' person

Akiko Kiryu, 52, fell to her death in a lane between StarChem Pharmacy and Hungry Jacks on The Corso at Manly, in Sydney's northern beaches, at 11.20am on Saturday

Akiko Kiryu, 52, fell to her death in a lane between StarChem Pharmacy and Hungry Jacks on The Corso at Manly, in Sydney's northern beaches, at 11.20am on Saturday

Ms Kiryu worked behind the register at Coles and regularly ran a crepe stall at the Manly markets. 

'We used to work at the same company and we were a part of the Japanese community,' one friend told Daily Telegraph. 'She was a lovely woman.'

'She's been here in Manly for about 30 years. She had a food stall at the market whenever it was open.'

Another person added they were shocked by the death as they remembered Ms Kiryu as a 'happy and smiling' person.

A Gofundme page has been set up to help raise money and pay for the funeral costs. Ms Kiryu's ashes will then be sent back to her home country to be reunited with her family.

'She doesn’t have family here, so us group of friends are organising a funeral at North Ryde and her ashes will be sent to Japan from Sydney,' the page reads.

'We plan to livestream the funeral for her loved

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