A 12-year-old girl is in very serious condition after she was reportedly electrocuted while climbing a power pylon in Spain to take photos for social media.
The girl suffered severe burns after coming into contact with a power line while climbing the structure in Navahermosa, near Toledo, central Spain.
Emergency services were alerted at around 6.46pm on Monday after the girl received a powerful electric shock and was left dangling from the pylon.
Firefighters from Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, rushed to the scene and shut down the electricity supply before climbing the tower to rescue her.
She was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken by ambulance to La Paz University Hospital in Madrid, where she remains in a very serious condition.
Firefighters have since warned about a growing trend of people attempting dangerous challenges to capture photos and videos for social media.
They stressed that climbing electricity pylons can be fatal even without directly touching a power line, as high-voltage electricity can arc through the air.
“A photo is not worth your life,” firefighters warned, adding that no photo, video or social media post was worth risking a person’s safety.
In a statement, the fire brigade said the electrical installation was first confirmed to have been switched off and free of voltage before rescuers began the operation.
The girl was then secured and lowered from the structure using an aerial ladder truck before being handed over to medical teams.
The incident has renewed warnings over the dangers of climbing electrical infrastructure for social media content, particularly among young people.
Authorities have repeatedly urged the public to stay away from power pylons and other electrical installations, where even a moment of contact or close proximity can result in fatal electric shock.
