Australian rugby player Hampson dies in nightclub accident in Barcelona

BARCELONA: Australian rugby league player Liam Hampson, 24, died in Barcelona in an apparent nightclub accident after he was reported missing by friends while on holiday in Spain, local police and the Queensland rugby league said on Thursday.

"The Queensland Rugby League is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of talented Redcliffe Dolphins player Liam Hampson in Barcelona," the league said in a statement, citing Liam's father Brett as "sadly confirming his passing".

Although Catalonia's regional police would not disclose the name of the victim, a spokesperson said a 24-year-old Australian man who had been reported missing was found dead at 3 p.m. on Wednesday at Barcelona's Apolo concert hall and night club.

The man had opened an emergency door that led him to the rooftop of the Apolo, from which he accidentally fell around 10-metres (32 feet) down into an inner courtyard, a police source told Reuters.

The Apolo and the Australian consulate in Barcelona declined to comment.

Hampson was on a trip across Europe with fellow rugby players, photos posted on their Instagram accounts show.

"We are devastated to find out Liam had an accident and did not survive. We are so heartbroken," his sister Tiarna wrote in an Instagram tribute, calling him the best brother she could have asked for.

She thanked his travel companions for helping with the search and making sure "his last days were the best of his life".

An autopsy was conducted on Hampson on Thursday, a spokesperson for Catalonia's Justice department said, declining to disclose its results due to privacy reasons.

The autopsy report will be available to a local judge assigned to the case and to Hampson's family.

A spokesperson for Catalonia's court system said she did not have