Tourist falls to her death while taking a selfie on a hike
A university student has fallen to her death from a popular tourist attraction while taking a selfie, now her family wants the management of the national park to take full responsibility.
The Chinese student, only identified by her surname, Deng, fell from the Huashan Mountain in the Chinese providence of Shaanxi at the end of October, according to the South China Morning Post.
Huashan Mountain is known for its “steep and narrow paths”, according to Travel China Guide.
Ms Deng had been sharing photos of her trek with classmates in a group chat, until her disappearance.
The university she attended in the central province of Hunan tried to contact her and then contacted the police the same day when they couldn’t.
The university also alerted her family she was missing.
Police examined surveillance footage and confirmed Ms Deng had fallen from the western part of the mountain, according to the South China Morning Post.
A worker on the mountain, known as Liu, told Pear Video Ms Deng had ignored the safety warnings and the two employees nearby reminding tourists of the risks, according to the South China Morning Post.
Ms Deng’s family told Pear Video the guardrail on the mountain was too low and that he believes Huashan National Park should take responsibility for her death.
However, management of the mountain says they bare no responsibility in Ms Deng’s death, with Liu claiming there is evidence “to prove we have fulfilled our obligation in ensuring tourists’ safety”.
Despite this, Huashan National Park has agreed to pay Ms Deng’s family, more than $A8,300 as “humanitarian aid”.
Ms Deng’s mother, Ms Yang, has been said the family is in negotiation with management, as the family believes management should take full responsibility for the death.
“The management insisted they are not responsible at all,” Ms Deng’s mother Ms Yang said.
“They said my daughter was an adult and her death was caused by taking a selfie.”
It is unclear whether Ms Deng’s body was recovered.
According to Insider, Huashan Mountain is sometimes referred to as “the world’s most dangerous hike”, and tourists are required to wear a harness as they walk along planks bolted into the mountain 7,000 feet (2133 metres) high.
An official death toll has never been released, however Bored Panda reports there could be as many as 100 fatal falls from Huashan Mountain every year.
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