Northern Ireland supporters cheer during the Euro 2016 group C football match between Poland and Northern Ireland at the Allianz Riviera stadium in Nice on June 12, 2016.
Image by: Valery HACHE / AFP
Image by: Valery HACHE / AFP
A Northern Irish soccer fan died in the French city of Nice after scaling a sea-front railing and falling on his head onto a stone beach, a local official said on Monday.
He was the first supporter to die during a Euro 2016 soccer tournament that has been marred by off-pitch violence between fans since Friday's opening.
"Investigators suspect an accidental death," a police spokesman said, adding that the 24-year-old man, whose name was withheld, was drunk at the time of falling.
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An investigation was underway to determine the cause of his death, which was believed to be accidental and have no link to the clashes between fans that marred the opening of the tournament in nearby Marseille at the weekend.
Northern Ireland played their first game of the tournament on Sunday in Nice, losing 1-0 to Poland.
By contrast with the violence during Saturday's England-Russia game in Marseille, the game in Nice passed off without incident.
But a day before the match in Nice seven people were injured in the city after scuffles broke out between French locals and Northern Ireland supporters following the England-Russia game.
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