Mum's tribute to 'thrill-seeker' who died in Spain

A mother has paid tribute to her "thrill-seeker" son who died after falling from a bridge in Spain while creating social media content.

Lewis Stevenson, from Derby, fell from Castilla La Mancha bridge, outside the city of Talavera de la Reina, on Sunday.

Spanish authorities said Mr Stevenson was climbing the 192m (630ft) structure to "create content for social networks".

The 26-year-old's mother, Keilia Stevenson, said: "There will forever be a hole in our hearts and life will not be the same again."

The cable-stayed bridge, which opened in 2011, is the tallest in Spain and one of the tallest in Europe.

A statement from Macarena Muñoz, a councillor on Talavera council, said Mr Stevenson and a 24-year-old man, who was with him when he fell to his death, had "come to Talavera to climb the bridge and create content for social networks".

She described it as an "unfortunate and sad outcome".

She added it was "totally prohibited" to climb the bridge, describing it as something "which we have reiterated on many occasions cannot be done under any circumstances".

Situated over the River Tagus, the bridge has long drawn climbers and social media creators who scale it despite the ban, according to local media reports.

Mr Stevenson's mother said the family were "absolutely devastated" by the "tragic accident".

His family said he was "not a social media influencer", but a "thrill-seeker" who had a passion for photography and travel.

They added they supported his adventures, but "didn't particularly agree" with his climbing.

"Lewis was my boy, my world and my biggest achievement. He continually made me so proud, he was happy and ambitious in life," his mother Keilia said.

"He was a thrill-seeker who loved to travel and have new experiences.

"We as a whole family supported his adventures around the world, which included amazing places he got to visit like Easter island and Machu Picchu, but unfortunately those adventures also included climbing great heights which we didn't particularly agree with but understood this was what he loved to do.

"He knew his limits and never did anything beyond them. He was a keen photographer and he did this all for passion, not as an influencer.

"There will forever be a hole in our hearts and life will not be the same again."

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson told the BBC they are supporting the family of a British man who died in Spain and are in contact with Spanish authorities.