A British tourist died in the Spanish city of Ibiza on August 20 after falling from the sixth floor of a hotel balcony where she was staying. While paramedics rushed to the scene, they were unable to save her as the injuries were too severe. The incident took place at an adult-only four-star Hotel Vibra District in the Balearic Island’s San Antonio party resort. No media outlet published the identity of the victim, as she was a 19-year-old teenager.
In a statement, Ibiza’s Civil Guard said that it wanted to express their condolences to the victims’ family, as they knew the accident represented an immense tragedy. The Civil Guard also said it was conducting an in-depth investigation into the matter to determine “every detail about what happened on Tuesday morning.” The force added that while it hasn’t dismissed any angle, every piece of evidence they have gathered so far indicates that there wasn’t any foul play and it was all a “tragic accident fall.”
The 19-year-old teenager is the second British tourist to die in Spain’s Balearic Islands in a week, following the death of another holidaymaker who also fell from the 10th floor at the Palmanova Hotel in Mallorca on August 17. The victim’s wife didn’t know about the accident until morning hours, and she had to be rushed to a hospital nearby after suffering a severe panic attack. Local authorities also sent their condolences to the victim’s family and explained that all investigations showed that the tragedy was also the result of an accident. The Civil Guard said about that case that officials determined the accident happened after the 28-year-old man tried to enter the wrong room and eventually lost his way after trying to get a shortcut.
Spanish authorities have said that these types of accidents are tragic but common during holidays and claimed that hotels located at the most tourist locations in the country need to take more security measures to prevent them. In response, some hotel owners have said they will try to put protective installations on their hotels’ balconies. Meanwhile, others said that the government shouldn’t get into their businesses, adding that they have already taken the proper measures to offer a safe place for tourists and clients.
While Spain has been one of the most attractive destinations for tourists in Europe over the last few decades, some cities have expressed their discomfort over the large number of tourists that go there every year. One of these has been Barcelona, with many of its citizens expressing their outrage over the way many tourists allegedly take advantage of the city’s opportunities and treat locals like second-class citizens. Some local left-wing politicians have even claimed that local businesses should charge tourists triple, despite that the city receives millions of euros every year because of tourism.
