'Wrong place at the wrong time': Police hunt for killers of teenage girl slain in CBD apartment

No arrests have been made.

The young woman was South Sudanese, her parents coming from the smaller Chollo and Anyauk tribes.

The second-year legal studies student has been remembered by friends as a “positive and bright young lady” on social media.

Her childhood friend Amara Gai said she had a 'heart made of gold'.

"She was such an amazing girl... she cared for her everyone around her she made everyone feel loved and she was always there for her friends and family."

"I still can’t believe we lost a beautiful soul, she didn’t deserve this at all. We want Justice for Laa Chol."

“She was like a sister to me,” one friend wrote in a public Facebook post.

“Now my heart is in two. I think about you constantly... you're gone now, but you will always remain our hearts until the day we all meet again.”

Another friend wrote, "You didn’t deserve to die this cruely ... [You] always showed love to everyone around you and anyone new you met. You never failed to make me laugh. R.I.P beautiful"

Police believe that all those involved are of African Australian descent, and community leaders have taken to social media to call for calm.

Achol Marial, a youth affairs officer for South Sudanese Community Association in Victoria, urged people not to take revenge.

"My community, please do not take matters into your own hands ... there is no need to revenge or avenge kill," she said in a Facebook post.

Police have seized the CCTV footage from the high rise apartment block on A'Beckett St and a group of twelve individuals are assisting the police with the enquiries. None of this group is believed to be involved in the woman's death.

The official cause of death has not been confirmed by police, however, it is understood that the young woman was stabbed during a fight that broke out in the 56th-floor apartment.

The woman was treated by paramedics but died at the scene from her injuries about 5.15am on Saturday.

Police said a group of African-Australian youths was inside the short-stay rental apartment at the EQ Tower on A'Beckett Street overnight when a second group arrived.

Police do not know if the second group was invited or if they forced their way into the 56th floor of the building where the assault took place.

Ms Chol's death comes days after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull renewed the debate over crime among African-Australian youths.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday "any crime is a great tragedy and obviously our thoughts and prayers and best wishes are with everybody affected" but reiterated the government’s efforts on tackling youth crime.

"If we want to have a proper discussion about youth crime or crime in any sense you can’t ignore there is a need to invest in TAFE and the education system," he said.

"There’s enormous efforts that have been put in place in terms of engaging not only with individual young people, (but) their families, community leaders, getting them back to school, in to training, in to jobs, making sure they make much better decisions for themselves and the rest of the Victorian community.

"For some, that means spending some time in the youth justice facility, I make no apologies for that."

Mr Andrews said crime statistics showed rates were turning around and he had given Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton the tools police need.

Residents in that street heard shouting around 4am and 5am, as did residents from the EQ Tower.

Victoria Police commander Tim Hansen said he understood the attack was not random.  Police have not confirmed if there was a pre-existing rivalry between the groups.

Federation of South Sudanese Associations in Victoria chairman Kenyatta Dei Wal visited the family of the victim on Saturday.

"Her very young life has been cut short and the community is deeply distraught and in shock," he said."The parents are deeply devastated."

The one-year-old apartment building has a high density of short-term rentals. A real estate agent who works with properties at the tower said it was made up of about 75 per cent owner-occupiers and 25 per cent short-term rentals, but some residents said the short-term rental percentage was higher.

Residents have said they have been concerned about the loud parties thrown in the rental apartments for months, saying the youth gathering have been "getting out of control".

Youth Worker Achol Marial has been vocal on social media, worried that those close to Ms Chol may attempt to take justice into their own hands.

"Allow law enforcement to take their course, there is no need to revenge or avenge kill," Ms Marial wrote.

"We need to practise this skill here in Australia if we are to take the same mindset back home. We should also preach the same perspective to our families back home in South Sudan.

"We should stop supporting avenge deaths; I know it's painful, I know it's hard but it doesn't make the situation easier for the family members who are involved. South Sudan is falling apart purely because of this and we need to do better!"

With AAP