In Peru on Wednesday, a German tourist wanted to visit the ancient Incan City of Machu Picchu and take some unbelievable pictures. Unfortunately, the ruins had something terrible in store for the tourist who just wanted to explore the area and make some memories.
According to The Daily Caller,
A German man died after jumping into the air for a photo and falling off a cliff in the historical Peruvian Inca city of Machu Picchu Wednesday.
The tourist, Oliver Park, died when he did not land properly after jumping for a picture. Park fell 130 feet off the edge of a cliff into a restricted area of the world-famous landmark.
Park’s remains were discovered Thursday. He is not the first Machu Picchu tourist to engage in dangerous behavior.
In March, British and French tourists were questioned for being nude at the historical site. Machu Picchu is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
The British and French tourists were accused of “offenses against morality.” While the tourists did not die, they were publicly humiliated when the cops that questioned them took their cell phones and sent out the nude pictures of them.
American archaeologist Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu in 1911. At the time of its discovery, only locals living near the site knew of its existence. Travel advice site Frommers reports that almost one million tourists visit the site annually and about 5,000 are there daily.
This unassuming tourist was just trying to capture a nice photo while on vacation and it ended up being his last. Maybe the man did not make the best decision to jump for the photo while on top of a cliff, but this is still a tragedy that could have been avoided. We can’t blame a man for being enthusiastic about his vacation, but we wish he had been more careful!