British teen in critical condition after fall from Ibiza apartment in latest balcony-related incident, what is 'balconing'
An 18-year-old British tourist is in a critical condition after reportedly falling from the third floor of an apartment in Ibiza.
The teenager was found unconscious on the pavement in San Antonio at around 9.47pm on Sunday, according to The Sun. Emergency services rushed to the scene, where paramedics stabilised the young man before taking him to Can Misses Hospital. According to the Ibiza and Formentera Health Area (Asef), he suffered head trauma and multiple serious injuries.
He was later airlifted by helicopter to Son Espases Hospital in Mallorca for further treatment, where the teen remains in a very serious condition.
Authorities believe the teen fell from the third floor of the building, but the exact circumstances are still under investigation. It is not yet confirmed whether the teenager was on holiday or residing on the island.
The incident is the latest in a troubling series of balcony-related falls involving British tourists in the Balearic Islands.
In August last year, a 19-year-old British woman died after plunging from the sixth floor of a hotel in San Antonio, Ibiza. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Just days earlier, another British holidaymaker, aged 28, died after a 15-foot fall at the four-star Reverence Mare Hotel in Palmanova, near Magaluf in Majorca. The alarm was raised at 7am on a Saturday, although investigators believe he may have fallen several hours earlier. Civil Guard sources suggested he might have attempted to enter the wrong hotel after a night out, possibly trying to take a shortcut when the accident occurred.
In September the same year, a man was arrested on suspicion of murder after a 24-year-old woman is believed to have plunged to her death from a hotel balcony in Ibiza. Robyn Eve Maines was found dead at the Hotel Rosamar in Calle Huelva in the San Antonio area of the Spanish island at around 8.30m on September 25, 2022.
Authorities in Spain have issued repeated warnings about the dangers of "balconing", a term used to describe risky behaviour on hotel balconies, including jumping or climbing between them, which has been linked to numerous serious injuries and fatalities among tourists.