Scots tourist survives balcony fall in Magaluf

Partying continues on the streets of Magaluf in the early hours yesterday as Jenna McAlpine recovers in hospital. Picture: AP

Jenna McAlpine, from Dunfermline, is in observation in the A&E department of Son Espases Hospital near the Majorcan capital Palma.

The 21-year-old was injured after falling from the Club B Hotel in the centre of Magaluf around 7pm on Tuesday.

She suffered a broken arm and broken nose in the incident, as well as fracturing a hip. Her condition was described as “stable.”

The recruitment consultant had only arrived in Magaluf just hours before the accident, after setting off from Edinburgh Airport with a group of five friends.

This afternoon, she posted on her Facebook page to reassure concerned friends and family. She wrote: “So first few hours in Maga wasn’t a success … managed to topple over the balcony. Broke my arm and nose and fractured my hip.

“So lucky to be alive and I’ve still got all my teeth. Sorry to everyone I’ve gave a wee fright to. Just to let everyone know I’m alive and kicking.”

She added: “Well not kicking. I’ll be wheeling instead. Wheelchair for me.”

Spanish police sources said Ms McAlpine’s fall was still being investigated but they believed she was trying to climb from one balcony to another when she lost her balance.

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We can confirm the hospitalisation of a British national in Majorca on 9 June. We are providing consular assistance.

The incident happened hours after new laws designed to crack down on bad behaviour by British tourists were brought in.

The hotel, which describes itself as ideal for groups of “fun-loving holidaymakers aged under 30”, declined to comment.

Tourists caught jumping from hotel balconies into swimming pools - a practice known locally as balconing - will be fined £1,065) under the new regulations approved by local councillors last month.

A ban on night-time street drinking and changes to controversial pub crawls have also been brought in by authorities in the region.

Despite the new laws, several British holidaymakers have been spotted over the past 48 hours flouting them.

One holidaymaker, mental health nurse Hannah MacDonald, 19, from Perth, said she planned to “get ******* mortal and just love life” despite the crackdown.

She added while partying in Magaluf: “We’re not here to worry about drinking on the street, I do enough of that in Scotland.”

The new rules came into force after a teenager from northern Ireland sparked a furore last summer by performing sex acts on 24 men on a bar crawl.

Video footage of the incident went viral.

The council has said fines for drinking on the streets will not be levied straightaway and tourists breaching the rules will be advised rather than punished as part of a moratorium which is expected to last for several weeks.

Local town hall officials today appeared to pass the buck on implementing key new regulations to the incoming council.

Local elections took place last month and new councillors will not be sworn in until the weekend.

A new mayor will take charge and many of the unelected civil servants will also be replaced.

The new regulations were approved by councillors from all parties last month following talks with local police and businesses.

A council spokesman, reacting to questions about why it seemed to be business as normal in Magaluf despite the by-law changes, said: “The outgoing municipal government, to guarantee a progressive and ordered implementation of the new regulations, and in the same way as other town halls have done in similar cases, has determined that a period of information about these norms should exist.

“The town hall’s aim is not to raise money in fines but modify certain types of behaviour or activities that we want to correct.”

The council said in a statement local police had been asked to inform tourists they were infringing the new by-laws covering things like street drinking and it was already working with a local hotel association to distribute leaflets advising holidaymakers of the changes.

It added: “The new town council will be constituted on June 13 and a decision on the maintenance, duration and modification of these criteria regarding local police actions after that date will be the job of the incoming council.”