Briton injured in Rome hostel plunge

A young man from Devon is in a critical condition in hospital after falling from the third-floor window of a hostel in Rome, police have said.

John Cummins, 22, from Sidmouth, was thought to be on holiday in the Italian capital when he plunged from the M&J Hostel at 5.15am Monday.

A Rome police spokeswoman said: "The man was taken to hospital in a critical condition. Doctors are carrying out blood tests to see if he had been drinking alcohol and police are investigating the incident."

Police said Mr Cummins had been taken to the Umberto I Rome general hospital.

The hospital said a 22-year-old British man who had been drinking was admitted yesterday with multiple broken bones.

He was thought to be in intensive care today.

A hospital spokeswoman said: "The man had spinal and other injuries and a cerebral oedema. He is in a critical but not life-threatening condition.

"He had been drinking alcohol."

The M&J Hostel, on Via Solferino, is located in the city centre near the main railway station, Termini.

It provides low-budget accommodation, with rooms starting at 9.99 euros (£8.25).