A 21-year-old employee of Foxconn Technology Group in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, died after falling off a 7-floor dormitory building on Friday night.

The alleged suicide was the ninth in a string of similar attempts by employees of the company, leaving seven dead this year.

The victim, surnamed Liang, fell off the building at 10:50 pm on Friday, and was declared dead about an hour after being rushed to a local hospital, police said.

Liang's body sustained four knife cuts. A bloodstained dagger was found with him, police said, confirming a case of suicide.

Police said Liang sustained the knife cuts as he hacked himself before leaping off the building.

The motive behind the suicide is still under investigation, they said.

Liang, a native of East China's Anhui province, had been working at the company since last November, sources said.

Liang's elder brother said he had no reason to doubt the police investigation, the Beijing News reported.

"We don't doubt the police investigation, and conclusion that it is a case of suicide. But some other details of the case need clarification," he was quoted as saying.

Liang's uncle, however, was a bit skeptical. The Beijing Times quoted him as questioning: "Is it possible for him to hack himself four times and then jump over the 1.5-meter fence on the roof of the building?"

Xinhua News Agency quoted an unnamed company spokesperson as saying that Foxconn "felt sorry" over the death.

Liang was reportedly living with seven roommates in room 402 of the building. One of his roommates said Liang worked night shifts, while he worked during the day.

Working in different departments, the roommates hardly ever had any communication.

"Working at Foxconn is pretty busy. Chats are rare," the roommate was quoted as saying.