British tourist is hospitalized after falling from Vietnam’s ‘Cliff of Death’ when he was hit by a falling rock while taking a selfie.
- The man climbed a rock face in Xeo Sa Lung village, Meo Vac district, on March 17.
- The stone that fell on him caused him to fall and crushed his leg in parts.
A British tourist has been hospitalized after scaling an off-limits rock in Vietnam and falling while taking a selfie.
The man scaled the rock face, which locals refer to as the ‘Cliff of Death’, in Xeo Sa Lung village, Pai Lung commune, Meo Vac district on March 17.
While taking a selfie in front of the panoramic view, he was hit by a rock that fell from above, causing him to fall and seriously injure his left leg.
Pai Lung first responders arrived on scene and administered first aid. He then was taken by ambulance to Ha Giang General Hospital.
Hospital officials said he was in fairly serious condition, with his left leg crushed in parts and his calf torn apart.
The Cliff of Death (file photo). The British tourist climbed the rock in Xeo Sa Lung village, Pai Lung commune, Meo Vac district on March 17.
Doctors applied bandages and splints to stop the bleeding and relieved the patient’s pain before transferring him to a larger hospital in the capital city, Hanoi.
Authorities say the Cliff of Death, which sits next to the popular Ma Pi Leng Pass, is dangerous, with many large, unstable rocks piled on top of each other.
Tourists often scale the cliff to take photos at a rock formation with a spectacular view, despite the lack of safety railings and often slippery conditions.
There are reportedly several signs warning tourists not to scale the rock face, as well as fences blocking access to the area, which are typically ignored, officials say.
In January 2021, a tourist slipped and fell from the Cliff of Death while taking photos and landed in a crevasse and suffered injuries.
At the time of the report, the man’s name and age were not released.
The Cliff of Death (file photo). While taking a selfie in front of the panoramic view, the British tourist was hit by a rock that fell from above, causing him to fall and severely injure his left leg.
In December last year, an Irish tourist fell to his death after leaning out of a moving train in Thailand to take pictures, police said. He was on a railway known as the “death railway” connecting Thailand and Burma.
The man was identified as Patrick Ward, 45, whose passport said he was born in New Zealand but is also an Irish citizen.
Police Major Kiatisak Kerdchok of the Sai Yok police said witnesses said when the train slowed down at a scenic spot, Ward opened a door in the carriage and fell 7 to 8 meters down a slope.
Rescue teams and emergency services rushed to the place where he had fallen. Not being able to access the area where he now lay, they were forced to assemble a pulley system to lower and reach him.
Thai police said that when rescuers reached him, Ward was barely breathing and his arm and neck were broken.
The emergency services spent half an hour trying to revive him but could not save him.
