British influencer, who died falling from Spain's tallest bridge, believed to be from Derby

Spanish authorities say a man fell from Castilla La Mancha bridge on Sunday

Author: Olivia MounsorPublished 16th Oct 2024
Last updated 16th Oct 2024

A British national has died after falling off a bridge in central Spain while trying to create content for social media, according to local authorities.

A 26-year-old man, tried to scale the 630 ft high Castilla-La Mancha Bridge in Talavera de la Reina, a statement from a local councillor on Sunday said.

He's been named locally as Lewis Stevenson from Derby.

A statement on social media from his girlfriend says she "can't eat or sleep" and feels "violently sick" at the thought of him not coming home.

Macarena Munoz, the city's councillor for citizen security, said the man was joined by a 24-year-old Briton, and that the pair had visited the bridge to create social media content.

In a statement, she said: "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."

She added attempting to climb the bridge "is totally prohibited and which we have reiterated on many occasions cannot be done under any circumstances".

The man's body has been removed and taken to a funeral home by a coroner, according to a press release from the local council.

The Castilla-La Mancha bridge stands above the Tagus River, about 120km south west of Madrid, and was opened in 2011.

At the time, it was known to be the tallest cable-stayed bridge in Spain.

The structure features 152 wire ropes which are attached to the main concrete towers creating a fan-like shape.

A spokesperson from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities."

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