UK officials caution tourists on alcohol

Young travelers heading from Britain to sunny Mediterranean resorts are being warned about the dangers of alcohol and hotel balconies. Three British tourists have died in drunken falls this year and 10 have been seriously hurt, The Guardian reported. The Foreign Office has prepared leaflets with examples of what can happen when visitors party too hard, and a warning that travelers could face large medical bills if they travel without insurance. The leaflet includes the story of Jake Evans, who survived a seven-story fall from a hotel balcony on the Spanish island of Majorca last year. The young Liverpudlian said he had too much to drink and fell while trying to catch a cigarette lighter being thrown up from the balcony immediately below his. He landed on a plastic lounge chair, and suffered a fractured skull and other injuries. "I am very lucky," he said. "I shouldn't be alive." Two of this year's deaths occurred in Magluf, where Evans had his fall, and most of the accidents occurred in the Balearic Islands of Majorca and Ibiza. "This year there's been a particular spike early on in the holiday season with figures already matching last year's," said Paul Abrey, head of the British consulate in the islands. "Some people have fallen whilst climbing to a friend's apartment, others have simply lost their footing after a few too many drinks and a few have deliberately jumped off aiming for the pool below."