A tragic accident marred Spain’s World Cup celebration

A 13-year-old boy was killed and three others were seriously injured after the historic Fat Tree fountain in the Glorietta del Arbol Gordo square in Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca, Spain, collapsed as large crowds celebrated Spain’s victory in the 2026 World Cup.

The emergency service of Castile and León states that the tragic accident occurred on Monday morning when the operations room received several calls alerting to the collapse of part of the structure on some people who had gathered inside the fountain to celebrate the historic coronation.

Part of the structure collapsed under the weight of the large crowd gathered inside the fountain, where a huge stone fell on the young victim, which led to his later death at the Rodrigo City Health Center after he was taken to receive first aid with another injured person.

Immediately after receiving the reports, the emergency service notified the local police of Ciudad Rodrigo, the Civil Guard of Salamanca, the fire department of the Salamanca District Council and the emergency health service “SASIL”, which immediately gathered resources to help the scene.

Emergency medical services provided first aid to two people who were transported to the Rodrigo City Health Center, where one of them died, the condition of the other victim has not yet been released, and the condition of the other three victims remains unknown.

It is noteworthy that the “Fat Tree” fountain is considered one of the historical sights of Ciudad Rodrigo. The city witnessed loud celebrations after Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time at the World Cup as thousands of citizens gathered in the squares to celebrate the historic achievement that turned into tragedy in the small town.