A man has died after falling from a hotel balcony while reportedly trying to take a selfie, Spanish police have confirmed. The incident happened at a hotel bar in the La Puntilla area of Las Canteras in Gran Canaria at around 1.30am on Sunday morning.
The resort is popular among British tourists, with the hotel situated overlooking a busy beachfront promenade. Police sources told the EFE News Agency that the man, who is a resident of the Canary Islands, had climbed onto a railing rooftop terrace in what they believe was an attempt to take a selfie. It is believed that in doing so, he lost his balance and fell from the eighth floor to the promenade below.
Emergency services responded quickly to the incident, but the man was pronounced dead upon their arrival.
The incident brings into focus the risk associated with tourists’ behaviour while at height in Spanish holiday hotspots.
The Canary Islands, like many places in Europe has seen an increase in accidents linked to people putting themselves in precarious positions, sometimes simply to take a photo or video.
According to travel expert Simon Calder, during the average summer, 10 young people fall to their deaths from balconies in Spain and Mediterranean resorts.
Often, the victims are male and British.
Last month, authorities in Ibiza issued a warning ahead of the upcoming holiday season, urging holidaymakers to behave responsibly on balconies.
The warning came as a result of the death of a 19-year-old woman who fell from the fourth floor of a hotel.
While the circumstances of the death are currently being investigated, it is feared that the tragedy is linked to ‘balconing’, a highly dangerous trend which sees people jump from balconies into swimming pools.
The death, if connected to the dangerous craze, will become the latest in a series of fatalities linked to the phenomenon.
Last year, Scottish student Emma Ramsey, 19, died after falling from the sixth floor of a hotel in the same area of the island.
Journalist Neil Hesketh from Spanish newspaper Sur in English said in recent years, San Antonio has seen “a few cases a year” of tourists falling from balconies.
He told the BBC: “It’s something the Spanish are particularly concerned about.
“Even down to the British embassy, consulate and tour operators, they’re constantly reminding people of the risks.”