A British daredevil has fallen to his death while attempting to scale one of Spain’s highest bridges in a social media stunt.
The unnamed 26-year-old English national fell from the 630ft-high Castilla-La Mancha Bridge over the Tagus River, near Talavera de la Reina, on Sunday morning. He was with a 24-year-old man when he fell, a local councillor said.
Macarena Muñoz, the councillor for citizen security in Talavera de la Reina, said in a statement that the pair had “come to Talavera to climb the bridge and create content for social networks, which has resulted in this unfortunate and sad outcome”.
She said that climbing the Castilla-La Mancha was “totally prohibited and which we have reiterated on many occasions cannot be done under any circumstances”.
The body was removed and was taken to a funeral home by a coroner, a press release from the council confirmed.
Police and firefighters arrived at the scene following the incident, according to Spanish outlet La Razon.
The Independent has reached out to Spanish police regarding the identity of the deceased man.
Local media state that the bridge has attracted several young people attempting to climb it in recent years, prompting warnings from officials.
Many cover their faces while climbing the bridge so as to avoid punishment by police, El Tiempo reported.
A year ago, two bloggers attempted to scale the bridge and shared a video on social media, the Spanish outlet reported. In 2016, two young people who climbed the structure were investigated by the Public Prosecutors office.
The Castilla-La Mancha Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge which was opened in October 2011. It was the tallest such bridge in Spain when it was opened.
Referred to by locals and the media as the “bridge to nowhere”, the €74 million bridge was widely considered a waste of money, carrying little traffic after a four-year project to build it.
According to El Debate, the bridge has now become a popular spot for drinking alcohol and illegal car racing.