Selfie-taker accidentally smashes 126-year-old statue of Portuguese king in Lisbon

A 126-year-old statue is in shatters after a man attempting to take a selfie knocked it over on Tuesday. The man was climbing onto the statue's base outside Rossio station in the Portguese capital, Lisbon, when he accidentally knocked the statue over and it fell to the ground. The 24-year-old man then tried to flee the scene but was later caught by police and will appear in court.

The statue was of Dom Sebastiao, a Portuguese king in the 16th century.

Sebastiao was killed in battle in Morocco in 1578, though his body was never identified, leading to the belief that as rightful occupier of the throne, he could appear at any moment and lead Portugal again.

Sebastiao was known as the child king, ascending to the throne at three years old on the death of his grandfather. His father died two weeks before his birth.

Rossio Station is located on Rossio Square in Lisbon. It was completed in 1890 and opened in May 1891. The statue had stood in its position near the entrance since the building was completed.

The statue's demise took place just before midnight on Tuesday, it was report by police on Wednesday.