A British tourist has died after falling down a stairwell at a hostel in north-east Spain, according to local reports.
Lee Jowitt, 41, from London, was named by his loved ones as the man who died in the incident in the Catalonian city of Tarragona last Sunday (October 11). Mr Jowitt fell from a height of around three storeys while walking up the stairs at the hostel shortly after midnight, local newspaper Diari de Tarragona reported. The paper did not name the victim.
Incident at Carrer Unió hostel
He had been spending the weekend at the hostel on Carrer Unió with a British friend when the incident happened. The fall is believed to have been accidental.
The case has been handed to the Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's police force, which has launched an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding his death.
Emergency response and tributes
Hostel staff immediately called emergency services following the fall, according to local reports. A doctor who happened to be staying at the hostel was among the first to come to Mr Jowitt's aid. Emergency medical workers attempted to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Paying tribute to Mr Jowitt on Facebook, his sister Shivaun Jowitt described him as "one-of-a-kind" and "truly special". She wrote: "This is going to be the hardest post Im probably ever going to do but my darling brother Lee has sadly passed away in Spain from a fall."
Fundraiser for repatriation
Friends have set up an online fundraiser to help bring Mr Jowitt's body back to the UK and "give him the send-off he deserves". The fundraiser's organiser, Richard Spiteri, described Mr Jowitt as a "much-loved friend, colleague and brother", adding that his death had left many people "heartbroken". At the time of writing, the appeal had raised more than £8,300.
