Officials in Spain have confirmed the death of a British influencer and daredevil who fell from the country’s tallest bridge.
The 26-year-old man tragically died on October 13 in Talavera de la Reina after falling from the Castilla-La Mancha Bridge, which stands 192 meters at its highest point.
Located just west of Madrid, the bridge has long been criticized as a “bridge to nowhere” due to its lack of traffic and perceived waste of public funds when it opened.
According to local news, emergency services were called to the scene early Sunday morning, with national and local police, firefighters, and paramedics responding.
A call for help was made at 7:14 AM, but by the time authorities arrived, they could only confirm that the man had died from the fall. His body was later recovered and transported to a funeral home.
Macarena Muñoz, the councillor for citizen security, stated that climbing the bridge is “totally prohibited and we have reiterated on many occasions that it cannot be done under any circumstances.” She 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.”
A spokesperson for Spain’s National Police in Toledo told Metro that the 26-year-old was “about 40 to 50 meters up” when he fell. Neither he nor his 24-year-old companion were using safety equipment such as harnesses. The initial emergency call was made by “a passing motorist,” and the younger man was reportedly “in a state of shock initially and couldn’t even speak” when authorities arrived. He has since left the police station, and while the cause of the fall is under investigation, officials do not plan to charge the 24-year-old. Any potential sanction for illegally climbing the bridge would be decided by the local town hall.
This incident is not the first time someone has attempted to climb the Castilla-La Mancha Bridge for social media content. The Mirror reported that two bloggers previously climbed the bridge without protective gear, and a similar event occurred in 2016.
The bridge, which opened in 2011, has always been off-limits to climbers.
RIP.
