A teenage tourist is fighting for his life after plunging 15ft in a freak accident at a popular Lanzarote holiday resort.
The 15-year-old, from Ireland, is said to be “critical” after suffering head injuries in a fall from a wall in Puerto del Carmen in Spain's Canary Islands.
Friends of the injured youngster have told police he smashed his head on the ground after trying to jump from the wall and grab hold of a lamp post but missing his target, according to local news reports.
He went into cardiac arrest and was revived at the scene by police and paramedics who practiced CPR on him before rushing him to Doctor Jose Molina Orosa Hospital in the island capital Arrecife.
He is understood to have fallen around 15ft.
His nationality was not revealed in a statement released by a regional government-run emergency services coordination centre - but local press have described him as Irish.
The incident happened just before 4am on Monday.
An emergency services spokesman said in the aftermath: “A youngster is in a critical state after falling from a wall in Lanzarote.
“The incident occurred in Avenida de las Playas in Puerto del Carmen just before 4am on Monday.
“The injured man was a male who in an initial evaluation at the scene, had a critical traumatic brain injury.
“He was taken to Doctor Jose Molina Orosa Hospital by ambulance.”
The spokesman added: “When medical responders reached the scene, they confirmed he had suffered cardiac arrest and managed to revive him using CPR.”
A routine local police investigation is underway.
Puerto del Carmen, 10 minutes drive from the airport and a popular sunshine destination for Irish holidaymakers, is situated on Lanzarote's east coast.
It has been transformed from a small fishing village to the busiest resort on the island.
Its main beach Playa Grande is the largest on Lanzarote.
It also has some of the island's liveliest nightlife outside of the capital Arrecife.
