When Tourists Die in Prague
There are places in Prague where people die but you will never find a memorial. Statistically speaking, Prague is one of the safest countries in the world where a crime directed against a person is very rare and yet tourists do die and on this post I’m not talking about heart attacks and sudden collapses etc. While researching a completely different topic I stumbled over some old news and while checking it out I came across several examples of tourists dying here. Just from the basic descriptions you can see some common issues i.e. fire, alcohol, bridges and rivers seem to crop up frequently. So this is just for the tourists in the period since 1995 i.e. whether it’s accidental death, suicide or assault, here are the reported cases with some reasons for how and when tourists die in Prague.
At it’s highest the Charles Bridge is 13m (44ft) above the river but people have died falling from less than 20ft onto the cobbles under the bridge.
In May 1995 8 tourists died in a fire at the Hotel Olympik including 3 Belgian women, 2 Finnish women, 2 American women and a German man. Read more.
In 2003, a 19 year-old Italian – apparently under the influence of alcohol – fell from Charles Bridge and drowned in the river.
In 2005, a visitor from Slovakia leapt from the Charles Bridge – apparently as part of a prank – and was killed when he hit only shallow water below.
In November 2011 a 45-year-old Italian national died when he accidentally fell from Charles Bridge onto the cobblestones at Na Kampe. He was trying to take a picture of one of the statues.
In December 2011 a 25 year-old woman drowned after jumping into the river from Charles Bridge.
In November 2014, after consuming alcohol and drugs, British tourist Karl Law drowned after falling into the river.
In January 2018 five people, two Germans, two South Koreans and a Dutch man died during or as a result of a fire at the Eurostars David Hotel.
In November 2019 after consuming “a lot of alcohol”, British man James Elton was killed when he stepped in front of a tram.
In April 2024 a Scottish tourist called Joop Sparkes drowned in the river after jumping from a party boat.
In September 2024, Welsh man Dai Richards died after being assaulted in a late-night street fight with other tourists.
In November 2024 a “foreign national” died when he fell from the Charles Bridge onto the cobblestones on the Lesser Town side.
In August 2025 a “foreign national” died after falling from rocks in the Branik area of the city.
Something Related or a Few Minutes Away
History – The Hotel Olympik 1995 Fire