Woman falls to her death at the Grampians, prompting urgent ‘selfie’ warning

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A woman has tragically fallen to her death in the Grampians after climbing over a safety barrier at one of the region’s popular lookouts.

The 38-year-old woman from Craigieburn slipped on a barrier at Boroka Lookout and fell about 80 meters at 3pm on Saturday.

Witnesses told Nine News that her husband and child watched her die on the scene, while The Age reported that it took police and State Emergency Services more than six hours to retrieve the woman’s body.

The incident represents a stark warning to domestic travellers over the summer period, with Victoria’s Police Minister Lisa Neville urging people not to risk their lives to take photos or selfies for social media.

“In the end, we can’t rope off every part of Victoria. People have to take responsibility,” Neville said told Nine News.

“What we saw [on Saturday] was a really tragic outcome of behaviour that unfortunately we see too often,” she said.

“We see it on the Great Ocean Road all the time, and often our lifesavers are put at risk having to rescue people who are trying to do extreme photos for social media purposes.

“It not only puts you in harm’s way, but it actually risks our lifesavers, and our emergency services personnel who have to either try and rescue you or recover a body – and that’s what we’ve seen [on Saturday].”

A spokesperson for Parks Victoria said: “We’re all terribly saddened by this tragic accident and our thoughts are with the family. Parks Victoria will provide support where required as Victoria Police prepares a report for the Coroner.”


Featured image source: iStock/SL

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