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Russian model in hot water after dangling from atop Dubai skyscraper

Mary Bowerman
USA TODAY Network
A video taken of the incident shows Viki Odintcova, 23, lean off the ledge of a skyscraper as a male assistant holds her hand, and later dangling off of the 1,004-foot-high Cayan Tower.

A Russian model took her quest for the perfect Instagram photo to dizzying heights by dangling from atop a Dubai skyscraper.

Video taken of the incident and uploaded on Instagram shows Viki Odintcova, 23, lean off the ledge of a skyscraper as a male assistant holds her hand. The model later holds the man's hand and dangles off of the 1,004-foot-high Cayan Tower.

While video of the risky photoshoot gained hundreds of thousands of views on Instagram, the building's developers weren’t amused.

Cayan Group, the developer of the building, condemned Odintcova’s stunt, which was performed without the knowledge of the company and “without any restraints, or safety precautions.”

While extreme sporting events have been held at the Cayan Tower, there were always trained professionals with backup safety measures, Gizel Daher, Director of Marketing & Communications said in a statement Friday.

“Under no circumstances can we condone Ms. Odintcova’s irresponsible actions, and we are in the process of reviewing our security procedures to understand and rectify where the lapse occurred and how to prevent such in the future,” Gizel Daher said.

The group said it plans to take legal action against the model.

WARNING: If you’re terrified of heights, your palms will likely be sweating after watching this.

Odintcova told The National she doesn’t plan on repeating the incident, but said she and the team deserved compensation for the risky photoshoot.

"We deserve a reward for disclosing weaknesses in the security of that building," Odintcova told The National in an email. "We were at the rooftop of that building without any evil intentions, however someone else could have come out there to commit suicide or an act of terrorism."

Dubai Police Maj. Gen. Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansouri told The National that the model "had been summoned to sign an undertaking not to repeat any dangerous moves that could endanger her life in Dubai."

Odintcova told the paper she was sorry and would sign the papers if the police sent them to her in the mail.

Follow Mary Bowerman on Twitter: @MaryBowerman