A 23-year-old British woman has died after falling from a hotel balcony in Magaluf, Mallorca, becoming the third British holidaymaker to die in similar circumstances in the resort in less than three weeks. Charlotte Faris, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, fell approximately 10 metres from the third-storey balcony of her hotel room at around 4.30am on Saturday, just hours after arriving with a female friend. Paramedics attempted to revive her for at least 20 minutes but were unsuccessful.
The Foreign Office confirmed the death and said it was providing consular assistance to her family. In a statement issued through Hertfordshire police, her family described her as a 'very loving and much loved daughter, sister, granddaughter and friend' who would be 'greatly missed'. The circumstances of the fall remain under investigation.
Helmino Crespo, former owner of the Teix Hotel where Faris was staying, told the BBC that staff were deeply distressed. He said Faris had stayed at the hotel the previous year and that he knew her. 'She was on holiday with a friend who is very upset,' he added, noting that eight police cars and an ambulance attended the scene.
The incident is the third such tragedy involving British visitors to Magaluf in a short period. On 17 April, Adam Atkinson, 20, from Castleford, West Yorkshire, died after falling from a third-storey staircase. An inquest later revealed he had consumed a large amount of alcohol. Three days later, Benjamin Harper, 38, from Twickenham, died after falling from a balcony while on a stag party. Paramedics treated him for over an hour but could not save him.
The Foreign Office has previously warned British tourists about a spate of serious balcony fall accidents in Spain. Last year, more than a dozen Britons fell from hotels in Spain, three of whom died. Official statistics for the year to April 2011 recorded consular involvement in over 1,600 deaths and 1,000 hospitalisations of Britons in Spain, though this includes long-term residents.
