German tourist dies taking flying selfie at Machu Picchu

A tourist from Germany died while taking a selfie at the world heritage site of Machu Picchu in Peru. The body was recovered on Thursday (30 June) from a ravine at the site. Officials identified the tourist as 51-year-old Oliver Park. They said he was trying to take a selfie while leaping to apparently appear as if flying. However, he lost his footing and fell off a cliff.

The fatal accident took place on Wednesday (29 June), while the man was visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Machu Picchu ruins in the Peruvian Andes. He reportedly ignored safety signs and warnings from wardens at the tourist site and ventured into a restricted area close to the edge of a cliff, from where he fell off. Rescuers, who found his body, took it to a local police station. Police said they would take the body to a morgue in the city of Cusco, the BBC reported.

Earlier this year, a tourist from Britain and his friend were arrested at the ancient site for taking nude pictures of themselves. Adam Burton, 23, and his French friend Eric Xavier Mariec, 28, were both charged with moral misconduct.