British tourist dies in temple fall while taking photos

A British man in his 50s fell to his death as he took photos at a temple in India.

Roger Stotesbury, from Oxford, was on the holiday of a lifetime with his wife Hillary when the tragedy occurred during a visit to the Laxmi Narayan temple in Orchha, Madya Pradesh.

The father of two adult children had been taking photos of the view from the second floor of the temple when he fell around nine metres (30ft).

While it was initially thought he had broken his leg, his injuries were much more serious and he later died of his injuries.

The couple had been enjoying a "middle-aqed gap year" and had already travelled to Italy, south and north America, Australia, and several Asian countries since last November.

The couple had rented out their home while they were travelling and had been living on a budget of £100 a day while they went on their adventure.

On their blog the couple posted a message in which they said that they wanted to see the world while they were still healthy enough to do so.

"We are Hilary and Roger a married couple from England/Scotland who are in their mid-50s.

"Hilary's motto is 'just do it' whilst Roger's is 'to die young as late as possible'. We took the view that on your deathbed you never wish you'd spent more time in the office. We've seen our two kids off into the wider world and we have no more caring responsibilities for our parents.

"So we thought now is the time to take a gap year and travel whilst we still have the health and energy. After all you only live once."

The pair had shared photos of their visit to the Taj Mahal on their blog, ourmiddleagedgapyear.wordpress.com, just a day before the tragedy.

The trip to India marked the final leg of their world tour and they were due to return to the UK this month.

Paying tribute to Mr Stotesbury a family spokesman denied reports that he was taking a selfie when the accident had happened explaining that he had already put the camera down.

He told Sky News: "Roger took lots and lots of photographs, and he had gone to take some views from the temple. He put his equipment down and then he fell."

"They were the most happily married couple I have ever known. They were just so devoted to each other," he added.

In a statement issued on their behalf by the Foreign Office, his family said: "Roger Stotesbury was one of the most enthusiastic men who walked the planet, and was incredibly loved by his wife, children and the surrounding community.

"He brightened every room he entered. He and his wife, Hilary had planned their round-the-world gap year since the beginning of 2016 and set off on 1 November last year.

"They loved the last 11-and-a-half months of energetic travel, exploring from the bottom tip of Patagonia, right up through the Americas, to Canada, Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and finally India."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are providing assistance to the family of a British man following his tragic death in India on 13 October. Our thoughts are with the family at this sad time."

The tragedy occurred just a day after it was reported that a Korean student fell 200ft to her death while taking a photograph at a popular UK beauty spot. Hyewon Kim, 23, had asked some tourists to take a picture of her high up on Cuckmere Haven in Sussex, which overlooks the Seven Sisters cliffs, but plummeted to her death after she slipped.