Safety concerns mount after three British holidaymakers die in four months at Magaluf apartment block
Latest fatality Thomas Channon was 'gentle, kind and generous' son, parents say
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Your support makes all the difference.Safety concerns have been raised over a Magaluf apartment block where three British holidaymakers have fallen to their death in just four months.
Questions have been asked about the height of walkway walls at the Eden Roc complex in the resort.
A family friend of 18-year-old student Thomas Channon, who became third fatality last week, said: “We went to where Thomas fell and the wall is way low. It’s about knee height.”
The woman – a mother of one of the youngsters who Mr Channon was on holiday with – told The Mirror: “When you look at it there are loads of trees and bushes beyond the wall which gives the impression there's a garden, but there's actually a 70ft drop.
"Something has to happen now. It shouldn't take all these kids dying to make sure proper precautions are in place.”
She raised the alarm as the parents of the teenager, from Rhoose, near Barry, South Wales, paid tribute to a "gentle, kind and generous” son.
In a statement, John and Ceri Channon said: “He was a model son, brother and grandson who will be dearly missed.
"During this difficult time, we ask for the space and privacy to try to come to terms with a loss that will never be filled."
Mr Channon had just completed his A-levels in economics, history, and English literature at St David's College in Cardiff.
A spokeswoman there described him as a "very popular student".
She said: “Respected by his teachers and loved by his friends, his sudden passing comes as a shock to the St David's College community that will surely be felt by us all for a very long time.”
The youngster was staying at the nearby Universal Hotel Florida during his first ever holiday without his parents. Spanish police are working on the theory he wandered into Eden Roc before falling about 20 metres at 4am local time on Thursday. His body was later found by a gardener.
The tragedy follows the death of Tom Hughes, a 20-year-old lifeguard, from Wrexham, who fell from about the same height at the block in June. An inquest into his death has been opened. Reports on WalesOnline suggest he may have jumped over a barrier without realising there was a drop on the other side.
And in April, Natalie Cormack, a bar worker from Ayrshire, Scotland, fell from the seventh floor after apparently losing her keys and trying to edge along an overhang to get into her apartment.
Following those two deaths, Calvià Town Hall mayor Alfonso Rodríguez Badal called a meeting of hoteliers, where it was said efforts to reduce the alcohol consumption of tourists should be made, according to Travel Trade Gazette.
Mr Badal said he wanted “those who come [to] enjoy their holidays and not end up in these unfortunate events”.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office told The Independent: “We are working closely with local partners in the hotel industry, and the local and regional government to raise awareness of the risks associated with balconies, and ensure the messages reach holidaymakers when they arrive to the Balearic Islands.”
Enquiries into the death of Mr Channon are continuing to be made by Spanish police.
Efforts are being made to contact representatives of Eden Roc apartments.