A 63-year-old British man has died after falling from a viewing platform overlooking the historic aqueduct of Segovia in central Spain, according to local authorities.
In a brief statement on Saturday, officials described the man as a British passport holder who had arrived in the city on Thursday with two other people.
Initial reports suggested he had been sitting on the ledge of the stairs leading to the lookout point and fell backwards after losing his balance, the local newspaper El Norte de Castilla reported.
City officials said the man, who has yet to be named, fell from the metres-high viewpoint shortly after 1pm local time (1200 BST) on Saturday. Emergency officials said they rushed to the scene and attempted to revive him.
The incident took place at a lookout point known as Postigo del Consuelo, which is tucked into remains of the medieval walls that surround the city. The small viewing platform has long attracted throngs of tourists and local people for the sweeping views it offers of the city and aqueduct.
With two tiers of arches and stretching more than 800 metres in length, the Roman aqueduct is believed to have been built around AD50. It was used until the 1970s to channel water to the city from nearby mountains. Declared a Unesco world heritage site in 1985, it stands at more than 28 metres above ground at its highest point.
As is customary in Spain with deaths believed to be accidental, judicial officials have launched an investigation and are gathering testimonies and evidence to confirm the circumstances of the death.
When contacted on Sunday, a spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who has died in Spain, and are in touch with the local authorities.”
