Girl dies in fall at Chicago museum

CHICAGO -- A 17-year-old girl was killed Saturday after she tried to slide down the railing of a staircase, lost her balance and fell inside the Museum of Science and Industry, police and museum officials said.

The accident happened in a public stairwell known as the "Blue Stairway," museum officials said.

"She was sliding down the bannister and lost her balance, according to eyewitness accounts," Chicago police spokesman Matthew Jackson said.

The girl was rushed to the University of Chicago Hospitals, where she was pronounced dead. She was part of a St. Louis youth group of about 80 people, said museum spokesman Jim Macksood.

The name of the girl was not immediately released.

The Foucault's Pendulum exhibit located in the stairwell was damaged in the accident, museum officials said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the young woman," David Mosena, president and CEO of the museum, said in a written statement.

The Cook County medical examiner's office says an autopsy will be conducted Sunday.