A manhunt is underway after a building manager was stabbed at an apartment block in the inner Sydney suburb of Pyrmont and left to bleed out in the lift.

Police were called to the Mirage apartment complex on Bunn Street about 8am on Thursday.

Bashir Zaheer died at the scene.

Police sent a sniffer dog into the car park of the building and are hunting for the killer.

Paramedic Nadia Tomlinson said Mr Zaheer had suffered a “very confronting trauma”.

“These events are quite confronting for crews, when they turn up,” Ms Tomlinson said.

“The patient had multiple stab wounds, mostly to the upper torso.

“It’s a very confronting trauma. You’ve got a very unwell patient and you need to do life-saving interventions.”

Cameron Slaughter lives in the building and told the ABC he saw lots of blood and a body in the lift in the foyer.

“He was being pulled out of the lift on a stretcher, being covered with the blankets,” Mr Slaughter said.

“One of the police officers said, ‘you are not allowed back in’.”

Daniel Mokhveri, who also lives in the building, said he was shocked by the news.

“Of course I don’t feel good and also not safe because I live with my family and three kids, you know?

“I feel sorry if something happened to him.”

Riot squad officers also attended the scene and Bunn Street was cordoned off.

Detectives are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

The nine-storey development is close to Sydney’s Fish Markets, The Star casino and Darling Harbour.

Pyrmont is home to thousands of apartments and popular among office workers for its proximity to the CBD.

-ABC