Man dies after falling from Tate Modern gallery

Emergency services were called to the gallery in central London at about 10.45am

The man fell from a balcony at the Tate Modern gallery in London. Getty Images

A man has died after falling from the balcony at the Tate Modern gallery in central London, police said on Friday.

Emergency services were called to the gallery, in Bankside, at about 10.45am. But despite the efforts of medics, he died at the scene.

Police said the death was being treated as “unexpected” but not suspicious.

A cordon remained in place on Friday afternoon.

The gallery said it would remain closed for the rest of the day.

Set in a former power station on the south bank of the River Thames, the gallery is one of the world's most popular art museums, with more than five million visitors a year.

In 2019, a six-year-old boy, a French tourist, was left with life-changing injuries when he was thrown 30 metres from a viewing platform at the gallery.

He suffered serious injuries, including bleeding in the brain and fractures to his spine, but survived and eventually returned to school two days a week.

Jonty Bravery, 18, was sentenced to at least 15 years in custody, and warned he might never be released, for attempting to murder the boy in front of horrified crowds.