'I stopped breathing': Woman's startling act for photo at tourist spot

A video of a woman perching dangerously close to the edge of an 844-metre cliff posted on social media has stunned users who labelled the move “terrifying” and “mental”.

In the 15 second video a woman is sitting at the tipping point of Pedra da Gávea in Brazil and quickly inches even closer to the sloped edge before raising her hands in the air.

The camera then spans out to show the view, demonstrating how high the mountain is.

“I stopped breathing, is she stupid? All that for a few likes,” one person responded.

“This gives me serious anxiety,” another person commented on the video that has since been viewed more than 13 million times.

“Pretty positive it’s these people that are missing something,” a user wrote.

While the identity of the woman in the video is unknown, posing for the jaw-dropping photo at the tourist hot spot has become a badge of honour.

Tourist flock to the mountain for followers

Pedra da Gávea is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has become a popular spot for tourists hoping to gain social media followers and likes for posing on the picturesque mountain, famous for ending over the ocean.

While most people reacted to the video with shock, calling out the woman for the “reckless” act, several people also responded with their own photos posing on the mountain.

Twitter user @Tha_irishman who describes himself as ‘professional risk taker and part time world traveller’ posted an image of himself on Pedra da Gávea, saying he had no regrets.

“One of the coolest f***ing things I’ve ever done,” he captioned the image.

He later admitted that he didn’t realise how close to the edge he was when posing for the image.

“Man I had no idea how close I was to the ‘edge’ until I saw the picture lol. My jaw dropped,” he wrote.

“You’re playing with danger,” a user responded to the image.

Although people posting similar shocking photos online is widely condemned by those who think putting your life at risk for social media popularity is stupid, the trend continues to grow with more and more influencers pushing the boundaries online fame.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.