A Polish medical student died after she fell 15ft from a bridge while taking a 'selfie'.

The victim - a tourist on holiday in Spain - had been trying to take a photo of herself when she slipped and fell, crashing onto the concrete footings of the bridge supports of the famous Puente de Triana bridge in the southern Spanish city of Seville.

Police said Sylwia Rajchel, 23, from the city of Lublin in eastern Poland, was balancing on the ledge of the bridge when the accident happened just after midnight.

Sylwia Rajchel died after she fell from a bridge while taking a 'selfie' while on holiday in Seville, Spain

The the famous 'Puente de Triana' bridge inthe southern Spanish city of Seville where the accident happened

Sylwia studied nursing at the University of Medicine in Posada, a village in southern Poland.

Her distraught mother Bernadeta, 44, said: 'Going to Spain was a dream come true for my daughter.

'She had taught herself the language and was hoping to work there in the future after finishing her studies.

'She was a beautiful, smiling girl who had her whole life ahead of her.

'It's hard to believe what's happened, that I will never see Sylvia again.

'That I won't hug her and will never be able to tell her how much I love her and how proud I was of her.

'It breaks my heart, I feel this is a nightmare that is not happening.'

Loss: Her distraught mother, Bernadeta (right), said: 'It breaks my heart, I feel this is a nightmare that is not happening'

Sylwia studied nursing at the University of Medicine in Posada, a village in southern Poland

Medics said that they had managed to revive her at the scene despite the fact that she had gone into cardiac arrest, and she was then rushed to the Hospital of Traumatology

Ms Rajchel had taught herself Spanish and was hoping to work there in the future after finishing her studies

A city spokesman said: 'This was a tragic accident and we are looking to make that stretch of boulevard along the river safer.'

Medics said that they had managed to revive her at the scene despite the fact that she had gone into cardiac arrest, and she was then rushed to the Hospital of Traumatology where her condition was described as 'very grave'.

Polish media however has since reported that she has died, and her father is already in the country to collect the body.

The Triana Bridge - one of the most photographed landmarks in Seville - is a popular haunt for tourists along the river.