British tourist, 37, found dead at popular Spanish holiday hotspot as police launch probe

A British father-of-two has died after falling from a sixth-floor balcony at a hotel on Spain’s Costa del Sol.

The 37-year-old was holidaying with his family at the four-star Sandos Griego Hotel in Torremolinos when the fatal incident occurred late on Tuesday night.

His wife and the couple’s two young children, both said to be under the age of ten, were asleep in the hotel room at the time.

Spanish authorities have opened an investigation into the death at the town-centre hotel, which promotes itself as a family-friendly, all-inclusive resort.

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Emergency services were alerted by hotel staff at around 11.15pm on Tuesday and attended the scene quickly.

Despite their efforts, paramedics were unable to save the man, who was pronounced dead where he fell.

The man’s partner told police the couple had been drinking together earlier in the evening before she went to bed.

She said her husband remained alone on the balcony after she fell asleep and believes the fall was a tragic accident.

A source familiar with the case said the deceased was a British national and added: “The man’s partner said he had been drinking heavily beforehand.”

The source added: “The investigation into this incident is ongoing but it could quite easily turn out to be a tragic accident.”

A spokesman for the National Police in Malaga confirmed: “We are investigating the death of a man at a hotel in Torremolinos where he was staying with his family.”

Officers are now preparing a report for a local investigating judge overseeing the case.

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It is unclear whether the man’s partner will be required to give evidence in court as part of the inquiry.

The Sandos Griego Hotel, part of the Sandos Hotels and Resorts group, has yet to comment on the incident.

The tragedy comes after a similar incident last May, when a 24-year-old British tourist suffered critical injuries after falling from the Hard Rock Hotel in Puerto Banus near Marbella.

The man, from Hessle near Kingston upon Hull, fell from the first floor but dropped the equivalent of three storeys due to the hotel’s elevated position.

His friends, who were asleep at the time, later launched a fundraising appeal after he suffered life-threatening injuries including a brain bleed and multiple fractures.

In Spanish holiday hotspots, balcony-related deaths and serious injuries are reported every year.

Such incidents are commonly referred to by locals as “balconing”, with around 10 to 15 cases recorded annually.

Last year alone, at least seven British tourists were killed or seriously injured after falling from hotel balconies in Spain.

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