The National Police have arrested a 40-year-old British holidaymaker on suspicion of attempted murder after his wife plunged six floors from a hotel balcony in Benidorm. The 36-year-old woman, who is also British, is said to be in critical condition in hospital with multiple injuries.
According to authorities, an alarm was raised just after midnight last night at the four-star Rio Park hotel, where the couple were staying, and the emergency services dispatched the police and medical personnel straight to the scene.
The police have confirmed that the husband has been held as a 'preventative measure' while they continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fall, saying that it will be up to a judge to decide what happens next after the man appears before him in the next day or so.
A spokesperson said: “The couple were sharing the same room and we are talking about a foreigner who has no ties to Spain so we are under an obligation to make the arrest as we try to determine what happened.”
In the meantime, paramedics attended to the injured woman and rushed her to Hospital Marina Baixa, where she is being treated and said to be in critical condition.
Local reports say witnesses have told the police that the man was in their hotel room and the woman on the balcony when she went over the edge.
A well-placed source said: 'It is too early at this stage to say what happened, and whether this was an accident or attempted suicide or murder. Hopefully, everything will become a bit clearer in the coming hours.'
The Rio Park hotel is set in a quiet area of Benidorm, just a five-minute walk from the Costa Blanca resort's famous Levante Beach.
It is not yet clear when the man being held in custody will appear in court but it is expected to be later today or tomorrow.
