British tourist, 54, dies months after plunging to the ground when wooden banister 'collapsed' while he was on holiday in Lanzarote, inquest hears

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:42, 27 July 2026 | Updated: 21:53, 27 July 2026 A British tourist has died months after he and another man took a massive fall when a wooden banister 'collapsed' in Lanzarote.  Nicholas Thomas, a 54-year-old from the Welsh town of Cwmbran, was severely injured on October 25 last year while he was holidaying at the tourist hotspot.  Media reports at the time indicated he was one of two men who fell into the atrium stairwell at the Galeon Playa Apartments in the resort town of Costa Teguise.  The other man was reported to be 56-year-old Darren Silcox, also from Cwmbran, who was pronounced dead two hours after the fall happened at around 1.30am that day. At an inquest held at Gwent Coroner's Court, coroner Rose Farmer said Mr Thomas fell between 15ft and 22ft after a wooden banister 'collapsed'. Following the fall, he was taken to Doctor Jose Molina Orosa Hospital for initial treatment before he was flown back to the UK at the end of November. Mr Thomas was first taken to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, before he was transferred to Grange University Hospital. Mr Thomas was later transferred to University Hospital in Llandough, but sadly died on July 10.  Nicholas Thomas, a 54-year-old from the Welsh town of Cwmbran (pictured, right) was severely injured on October 25 last year while he was holidaying at the tourist hotspot Darren Silcox, also from Cwmbran, was pronounced dead two hours after the fall The inquest heard that the incident was being looked into by Spanish police, who are investigating whether inadequate upkeep or safety measures played a role in what happened.  The proceedings were adjourned until April 14 next year.   His family will be holding his funeral on August 14 at Gwent Crematorium, according to social media posts.  At an inquest for Mr Silcox's death, Farmer said preliminary investigations suggested Silcox died 'due to a traumatic brain injury due to a fall, skull fractures and skull lacerations'. Following Mr Silcox's passing, local councillor David Daniels said he was a 'lovely guy'. He added in an interview with the BBC: 'Darren and his wife [Kim] were at the heart of the community and had run the [Premier] shops for many decades. 'Everybody who has grown up in the area would know the shops and we called in there every day after school. He was very kind to us and he was very generous.' Social media posts revealed Kim passed away in 2024. Daniels added: 'For Darren Silcox to die a year after Kim passed away is unbelievably awful, and our thoughts are with his children, Connor and Ellie.'