Berlin (dpa) – A 30-year-old US citizen was severely injured on Thursday while photographing an abandoned children’s clinic in Berlin, where a growing number of people have taken to exploring the city’s disused buildings.

The man fell from the third to the second storey of the derelict clinic in northern Berlin and was brought to hospital with several broken bones and internal injuries, a police spokeswoman said.

Owners of such disused locations often use fences and barbed wire to make them difficult to access, due to a high risk of injury caused by unstable foundations and broken glass.

However, Berlin’s overgrown and crumbling ruins have become a popular location for intrepid amateur photographers, with forums sharing instructions on ways to gain access.

The injured man, and his 28-year-old companion, who alerted the authorities, are to be charged with trespassing.