“Our sympathies are with the family and friends of the individual involved,” the Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement
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NEED TO KNOW
- A man working at a construction site at Birmingham Children’s Hospital died after falling on Friday, July 10
- The incident occurred one day after Prince Harry visited the hospital to celebrate WellChild’s 20th anniversary
- Authorities and the construction company are investigating the incident and offering support to those affected
A man fell to his death at a U.K. hospital recently visited by Prince Harry.
Shortly before 9:50 a.m. local time on Friday, July 10, police responded to reports of a man having fallen from Birmingham Children’s Hospital, West Midlands Police said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
“The man was sadly confirmed dead a short time later, and our thoughts are with his loved ones,” police said. “We are liaising with the Health & Safety Executive as inquiries continue.”
Credit: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty
According to local news outlets Birmingham Live and Birmingham World, the man was working on a BSN Group construction site at the hospital when the incident occurred.
“We are saddened to confirm that a person has died following an incident at our construction site at Birmingham Children’s Hospital on Friday, 10 July,” a BSN Group spokesperson told Birmingham Live.
“Our thoughts are with their family, friends and colleagues at this extremely difficult time,” they continued. “We take health and safety very seriously, and we are assisting the police, the Health and Safety Executive and all relevant authorities with their inquiries.”
“As investigations are ongoing, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage,” the spokesperson concluded.
A spokesperson for Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Trust also confirmed the incident in a statement to Birmingham World.
“There has been an incident at a construction site at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and our sympathies are with the family and friends of the individual involved,” the spokesperson said, per the outlet. “Support is being provided to those who have been affected.”
The Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and BSN Group did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment.
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The fatality came one day after Prince Harry visited Birmingham Children’s Hospital to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the very first WellChild Nurse.
Since relocating to California with wife Meghan Markle and their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, after stepping back from his royal role in 2020, the Duke of Sussex has continued to support the charity’s work and attend events such as the annual WellChild Awards in the U.K.
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WellChild’s chief executive, Matt James, spoke to PEOPLE after Prince Harry’s visit on Thursday, July 9.
“We are celebrating 20 years of the program this year, and to celebrate that with the Duke, who has contributed to that work, was a really special moment,” James said, adding that the Duke of Sussex, 41, “really brought some more sunshine to a bright and sunny day.”
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