Britain urges holidaymakers to be cautious on balconies
Britain’s foreign and commonwealth office (FCO) issued a travel advisory to British holidaymakers to “take care on balconies in popular holiday hotspots”, after one Briton died and three more have been injured in June after falling from balconies while on holiday.
The latest incidents take the total number of reported cases this year so far to seven. Last year there were 14 incidents, many of which involved young people and alcohol, FCO said in a statement.
The one fatal case in June happened in Sunny Beach, where a 19-year-old tourist died on June 16 after falling 10 storeys from the balcony of his hotel room.
“With the summer holiday season barely underway the latest incidents highlight the need for continued vigilance on balconies, particularly in popular destinations such as Sunny Beach (Bulgaria) and Majorca (Spain) where recent cases have taken place,” the FCO said.
The British embassy in Bulgaria had to deal with several deaths and injuries from balcony falls, British consul in Sofia Jon O’Shaughnessy said.
“Unfortunately we are already experiencing balcony accidents again. Our staff have seen the devastating effects a momentary lapse in judgement can have on the victim and their family and we are working hard to ensure people understand the risks,” he said.
Earlier this month, O’Shaughnessy launched the Holiday Hangover information and prevention campaign in Slunchev Bryag (Sunny Beach). One of the areas targeted by the campaign is prevention of balcony incidents.
“Accidents can and do happen and climbing from balcony to balcony, jumping off them or drinking excessively while on one only increases your chances of something going wrong. All too often these incidents cost lives but the risks can be avoided if you take a moment to just think about the possible consequences,” O’Shaughnessy said in the statement on June 28.
The travel warning comes only days after a 22-year-old German tourist fell four storeys from the balcony of his hotel room in Sunny Beach. He was taken to hospital early on the morning of June 26 and was in a coma after suffering multiple injuries, reports in Bulgarian media said.
(Photo: FCO via twitter.com/HMCinBulgaria)
