Five men are being hunted by police after a British woman was reportedly sexually assaulted in the toilet of a nightclub in Spain.
The woman claimed she was targeted after a “foreign man” followed her in the southern city of Seville on Sunday morning.
The incident happened at an unnamed nightclub believed to be in the central neighbourhood of Encarnacion.
According to local reports, the victim was out with two friends, when they began to chat to a group of five men at the club.
One of the men in the group is said to be the alleged attacker.
The woman was rushed to Seville’s Virgin Macarena Hospital, after alerting staff at the venue.
She was described as being in a “state of shock” when she arrived at the regional clinic, where she was attended to by medical staff.
Spanish police have launched an investigation and are actively trying to track down the men, who have been described as “foreign”.
Officers, however, refused to be drawn on their nationalities, as they ramp up their search.
Encarnacion used to be a seedy part of the city, but huge investment over the years has turned it into a trendy area.
Its transformation is linked to a large wooden structure called the Metropol Parasol in Encarnacion Square in Seville’s old town, housing a traditional market and restaurants and a “rooftop” terrace with panoramic views.
Metropol Parasol is better known to locals as the Mushrooms of Seville and since opening in 2011, the parasols have been Seville’s third most visited urban symbol.
Spain has a reputation for sexual violence against women, with the number of assault cases reported seeing a dramatic increase over the last few years.
Figures published recently by Spain’s Ministry of Interior show a staggering 53.2 percent rise in reported rapes since 2019.
