Liam Payne fell to his death from the third-floor balcony of the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this month. It is alleged that he fell after fainting.

An Argentinian journalist has made a shocking claim about the tragic incident in which Liam Payne allegedly fell from his third-floor balcony at the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires. The former One Direction star tragically died earlier this month while on holiday in Argentina, where he had attended a Niall Horan concert with his partner Kate Cassidy.

Broadcast journalist Paula Varela claims that video footage captured the moment Payne “passed out” on his balcony, suggesting that the video is being held back by authorities. On the popular television show Socios del Espectaculo, broadcast on Canal 13, Varela also mentioned that a night worker at a hotel who had become close to Liam is being investigated to determine the source of the drugs believed to have played a role in his untimely death on October 16.

Varela explained: “There is footage that is not released to the media of the balcony scene where you see Liam pass out and tragically fall off the balcony because of his position. If he had been next to his bed, he would have fallen on his bed.

“It’s not like he jumped on purpose. This footage is in the official files. There is a boy who is under investigation. He worked at the hotel at night. He had an excellent relationship with Liam. He disobeyed an order from the hotel management. What order did he disobey? It was not to take anything into Liam’s room.”

She continued: “Because of the good relationship he had with Liam, he ordered a car through one of those taxi apps that we all use because Liam wanted something. He did him that favor, a big mistake because he is under investigation and they see what was transported in that vehicle. That is one of the things that investigators are currently looking into and obviously that hotel employee has been suspended. He is a valued employee, a good worker, but he disobeyed an order that could have been fatal.”

Prosecutors said after Liam’s death that he was likely “in a state of semi- or total unconsciousness” at the time of his fall while experiencing a drug- or medication-induced “psychotic episode,” the Mirror reported.

Alberto Crescenti, head of the state rescue service, confirmed that the singer had fallen into a courtyard. Speaking to Argentine television station Todo Noticias, Crescenti said: “A few minutes later, a rescue team arrived and confirmed the death of the man, who we later learned was a member of a music group. He had suffered non-life-threatening injuries from the fall. There was nothing more that could be done.”

The toxicology report states that the position in which his body was found and the injuries from the fall indicate that “Payne probably did not assume a reflexive posture to protect himself and may have fallen in a state of semi- or total unconsciousness.”