A 43-year-old man is fighting for his life after a hotel balcony collapsed and crashed onto him while he was swimming in a pool at the popular holiday resort of La Manga del Mar Menor.

The victim remains in intensive care at Murcia’s Virgen de la Arrixaca Hospital after suffering serious injuries.

According to La Opinion de Murcia, he underwent surgery on Saturday morning under the care of a neurosurgeon.

The accident happened at the Hotel Cavanna in La Manga on Friday evening at around 7.35pm.

Witnesses reported seeing part of a ninth-floor balcony suddenly break away and plunge into the pool area below, striking the man as he was bathing.

Several people at the scene initially feared the worst after the impact reportedly left him unconscious.

Emergency services rushed to the hotel, including Local Police officers, Civil Protection personnel, firefighters and paramedics.

The victim received treatment at the scene before being taken by ambulance to Santa Lucía Hospital in Cartagena.

Due to the severity of his injuries, doctors later decided to transfer him to the Virgen de la Arrixaca Hospital in El Palmar, Murcia’s main referral centre for serious trauma cases.

The man had been staying in La Manga with his wife for a short holiday when the incident occurred.

The Guardia Civil has launched an investigation to determine what caused the balcony to collapse.

Officers are examining the condition of the hotel’s infrastructure and will seek to establish whether there were any structural issues that could pose a risk to guests or staff.

Investigators are also working to determine exactly how the balcony failed and whether any safety inspections had previously identified concerns.

The priority, authorities say, is to establish whether other parts of the building could present a danger and to prevent any further incidents.

The investigation remains ongoing.