Tragedy in Barcelona: the surviving twin who fell from the third floor opened her eyes

Leila, the only surviving twin after falling from the third floor of her house in Barcelona, showed signs of improvement this Friday afternoon at Taulí Park Hospital in Sabadell, where she was hospitalized in a coma for nearly five days. Her sister, Alana, who was in the process of transitioning to male and requested to be named Ivan, tragically died in the same incident.

According to Fernanda Castagno, the grandmother of the twins, Leila opened her eyes when her son spoke to her, as stated in the latest medical report. The hospital also reported that Leila underwent surgery on Friday and is currently in stable condition.

To support the parents, Gustave Lima, the ex-husband of Castagno and the twins’ grandfather, will arrive in Madrid at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. He managed to travel from the city of Mar del Plata to Spain at the last moment after an intense and desperate search to pay for the flight costs. “The Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs helped me, and an airline company gave me the tickets to Madrid,” Lima told the outlet.

On February 21 at around 3:00 p.m., two sisters fell from their balcony, plunging into the void. Ivan died instantly, while Leila suffered multiple injuries and fractures and was taken to Parc Taulí Hospital. The incident occurred on the third floor of a building.

The sisters were in their first year at the Llobregat Institute de Sallent, where the family had settled a year and a half ago. Although the causes of the tragedy are still under investigation, the grandparents claim that the sisters were victims of heavy bullying at school due to their Argentinean accent and Alana’s transition to male, preferring to be called Ivan. At home, letters and two chairs were found that suggest the possibility of a collective suicide, although this has not been confirmed. Researchers are analyzing the manuscripts, which are reportedly linked to Ivan’s anguish in feeling misunderstood during her gender transition.

The educational center denied the bullying allegations, but the Ministry of Education opened a file to investigate the facts. The Education Department of the Generalitat also activated the Support Unit for Students in Situations of Violence (USAV) to investigate the reasons that led the sisters to want to end their lives.

According to a source from the Ministry quoted by the Europa Press agency, the young women were taken care of and monitored by the social services of the Town Hall of Sallent. The local education authorities stated that, based on the information collected over the past few hours, they did not consider bullying as the cause of the tragedy. They noted that all resources available at the level of social, educational, and psychological support had been activated to take care of the minors and the family.

After Ivan’s death, the Observatory against Homophobia of Catalonia described the event as a “social murder” and stated, “A 12-year-old trans boy commits suicide in Sallent, Catalonia. A suicide marked by intolerance, bullying, and transphobia.”