HALLS GAP, Australia (NEXSTAR) – A 38-year-old woman tumbled to her death Saturday after she slipped on a barrier at a popular vista point in the Australian state of Victoria, police said.
Australia’s Nine News identified the woman as Rosy Loomba, and said she was with her husband and child at Boroka Lookout when she climbed over the safety barriers. The lookout gives a sweeping view of Grampians National Park, and Loomba was trying to pose on a “picture perfect rock” when she fell around 3 p.m., police told Nine News.
Witnesses told the outlet they could hear Loomba’s screams, but no one was able to help her. It took first responders six hours to work their way up the cliff face to recover Loomba’s body, Nine News reported.
The warning signs on the 260-foot-high Boroka Lookout are often ignored, a search on social media shows.
Graham Wood, a local tour guide, told the country’s public broadcaster ABC that he saw someone else scaling the barrier for a photo that day, and believes Loomba fell just 30 minutes after he left.
“I was shocked,” Wood said, adding that it was an awful way for people to learn a lesson about risking their lives at Boroka Lookout. “I don’t know how you can stop it happening but maybe this incident will help. It’s a hard way to get people to adhere to what should be common sense.”
Police have warned visitors in the past about going after the “ultimate selfie” in the Grampians:
“We regularly see dangerous photos and videos geo-tagged to the area where individuals have compromised their own safety to get a particular shot. We also frequently work with local rescue teams on missions to bring individuals to safety who have ignored signage and climbed over safety barriers or fencing. Our missions do not always have successful outcomes.“