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Man dies after falling from Tate Modern gallery

The man died at the scene, police said.

PA Reporter
Friday 02 February 2024 12:24 EST
A man has died after falling from the Tate Modern gallery (Yui Mok/PA)
A man has died after falling from the Tate Modern gallery (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)

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A man has died after falling from the Tate Modern gallery in London, the Metropolitan Police said.

Emergency services were called to the gallery, in Bankside, at about 10.45am on Friday.

The force said the man, who has yet to be identified, died at the scene.

His death is not currently being treated as suspicious.

The police are not treating the event as suspicious, but we have closed the gallery for the day as a mark of respect. All our thoughts are with the person’s family and friends at this time

Tate Modern statement

A cordon remained in place at the scene on Friday afternoon.

Visitors who turned up at the venue on Friday were met with a sign that said “Sorry, Tate Modern is closed today”.

They were also turned away by similar signs that were posted at the various entrances to the visitor attraction on London’s Bankside.

The gallery, which is one of the most visited art museums in the world, said it would remain closed for the rest of the day following the incident.

In a statement, the Tate said: “We are very sad to report that a member of the public passed away at Tate Modern this morning.

“The police are not treating the event as suspicious, but we have closed the gallery for the day as a mark of respect. All our thoughts are with the person’s family and friends at this time.”

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, a paramedic on a motorcycle, an incident response officer and a clinical team manager. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.

“Our first medics arrived at the scene in approximately three minutes.

“Very sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a person was pronounced dead at the scene.”

In August 2019, a six-year-old French boy was seriously injured after being thrown from a viewing platform at the Tate Modern by teenager Jonty Bravery.

The boy, who had been on holiday with his parents at the time of the attack, survived the 100ft (30m) fall, but suffered life-changing injuries, including a bleed on the brain and broken bones.

Bravery is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 15 years for attempted murder.

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