A 48-year-old mother has died after falling from the tenth floor of an apartment building in Madrid while holding her three-year-old twins in her arms. The incident happened just one day after the children’s third birthday.
The woman, identified locally as Maria, fell at around 9 a.m. on Saturday from a residential block in the Ciudad Lineal district of the Spanish capital. She died instantly from the impact.
Her twins survived the fall but were left with severe injuries. One child was taken to Madrid’s 12 de Octubre University Hospital, while the other was rushed to Hospital Infantil Niño Jesús, a specialist children’s hospital. Doctors are reportedly especially concerned about one of the twins, whose condition is described as extremely serious.
Maria, who was separated from the children’s father, is said to have been living alone. Neighbours and locals have claimed she had been struggling with depression and was taking medication. Just hours before the tragedy, she had reportedly gone to a nearby shop to buy presents for her children.
The apartment block is located on Calle Ricardo Ortiz, a typically quiet residential street around half an hour from central Madrid.
A spokesperson for the city’s emergency services confirmed Maria’s death and the children’s hospitalisation, adding that national police have opened an investigation into the circumstances of the fall. Local police and firefighters also responded to the scene.
In a separate incident, an Australian woman was left paralysed after a balcony accident while on a family holiday in Brazil.
On January 16, 42-year-old Daniella Maia fell around 13 feet when a wooden balcony guardrail gave way as she leaned on it while talking on the phone. She later recalled hearing a loud noise before losing consciousness.
Daniella was taken to hospital with a shattered spine and eight broken ribs. The fall left her without movement in her legs, and she now uses a wheelchair and depends on caregivers as she undergoes ongoing treatment. Formerly employed as a gardener in Australia, she is no longer able to work and has been struggling with mounting medical costs.
