He was attempting to climb it
Spanish officials have released a statement saying that a British influencer and daredevil has died after he fell from the country’s tallest bridge.
The 26-year-old man died yesterday (13 October) after falling off the Castilla-La Mancha Bridge in Talavera de la Reina.
The bridge is a massive 192 metres at its tallest point.
Local media reported that a host of emergency service arrived on scene with national and local police as well as the fire department and paramedics all in attendance.
The call for help was made at 7:14am on the Sunday morning, but there was nothing the emergency services could do other than declare the man had died after falling from the bridge.
The man’s body was recovered and taken to a funeral home.
Macarena Muñoz, councillor for citizen security, emphasised that climbing the bridge was “totally prohibited and that we have reiterated on many occasions that it cannot be done under any circumstances”.
They added: “As we have been able to find out, they had come to Talavera to climb the bridge and create content for social networks, which has resulted in this unfortunate and sad outcome.”
The man had been accompanied by another 24-year-old British man who was also climbing the bridge but local police reported was “in a state of shock”.
Speaking to the Metro, a spokesperson for Spain’s National Police in Toledo said: “He was about 40 to 50 metres up, around a quarter of the total height of the bridge, when he fell.
“The reason he fell is not clear and will be investigated by a local court.”
A source close to the investigation said: “Both the dead man and the companion that survived were climbing without any harnesses or other protection.
“A passing motorist raised the alarm.
“The other lad was in a state of shock initially and couldn’t even speak. He’s obviously still pretty traumatised but is not at the police station any longer.
“He’s not going to be charged with any crime. Whether the local town hall decides to sanction him for doing something illegal is a decision for them.”
Investigators are looking into if bad weather played a part in the man’s fall with heavy rain proceeding the influencer’s attempted assent of the bridge.
The Mirror reported that two people were reported for the same stunt in 2016.
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