British man dies and friend is injured after pair plunge 30ft while trying to take selfie near coast in Costa Blanca
- Three British men reportedly taking selfie above a beach on Wednesday evening
- Two men fell 30ft on to a lifeguard hut, leaving one dead and second injured
- Third man had to be taken to hospital due to shock, but was not physically hurt
A Briton has died and another has been injured after falling 30ft as they tried to take a selfie on Spain’s Costa Blanca.
The tragedy happened around 7.30pm on Wednesday in an area known as Punta Prima near the town of Torrevieja.
Civil Guard sources said both men who fell were British and that a third man, also British, had to be taken to hospital after suffering a panic attack but was not physically injured.
A British man has died and a second was injured after falling 30ft on to a lifeguard hut (pictured) at Punta Prima, near Torrevieja in Spain, on Wednesday evening
The injured Briton was taken to hospital by helicopter (pictured) where he is sedated. Police are investigating and plan to interview him once he has recovered
The source said: ‘The local British consulate has been informed.
‘One of the men died at the scene and another was taken to hospital by helicopter. He is in Alicante Hospital where he has been sedated.
‘The third man was physically unharmed but suffered a panic attack and was taken to Torrevieja Hospital.
‘The alarm was raised around 7.30pm on Wednesday evening.
‘It appears the men were taking a photo. The initial reports were that they had fallen from a height of around 40 feet.
‘It is too early at this stage to speculate on exactly what happened and the police investigation into the cause is still in its infancy.’
A third man, also British, had to be treated for shock but was not physically injured. Police have launched an investigation (beach, pictured)
Another source added: ‘Officers will be speaking to the man taken to Torrevieja Hospital as soon as possible to try to build up a better picture of what occurred.’
Punta Prima is the headland marking the border between the municipalities of Orihuela and Torrevieja.
Punta Prima beach won the prestigious Ecoplaya award in 2010.
The tragedy occurred less than three days after Luke Freeman, 19, from Reading, Berks, died after plunging from holiday apartments in the Costa Brava resort of Lloret de Mar.
No-one from the Civil Guard was immediately available for comment early Thursday morning.