Australian dies in Portugal 'selfie' fall

An Australian is among two people who have fallen to their death after reportedly trying to take a photograph above a beach cliff in Portugal.

An Australian is dead after falling from a cliff overlooking a popular Portuguese tourist beach, reportedly while attempting to snap a "selfie".

A couple, a woman in her 30s and man in his 40s, plunged more than 30 metres to their deaths between 1am and 6am on Tuesday morning (local time) after falling from a beach wall in the seaside town of Ericeira, according to local media.

Local rescue service captain Rui Pereira da Terra told Portuguese news agency Lusa a mobile phone was found resting on the wall, suggesting a fatal photography mishap.

"It seems that (the victims) might be getting a 'selfie', when they let the phone fall, leaned over to grab it and fell," he was quoted as saying.

The bodies were reportedly discovered below at Pescadores Beach by a council worker and later transported to Lisbon's National Legal Medicine Institute.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told AAP it is providing consular assistance to "the family of an Australian who died in Portugal".

It is unclear which of the pair is an Australian citizen.

"The Department has been in contact with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office regarding the other person who died in the incident," DFAT said in a statement on Wednesday.

Ericeira, a popular surfing spot, is located about 30km northeast of the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.

Pescadores Beach, which translates to Fisherman's Beach, is ringed by cliffs and a wall of up to 40m high.


Share
Published 13 June 2018 1:00pm
Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world