Horrible news... On Sunday evening, a woman was swept over Niagara Falls when she lost her footing and fell from a railing she had climbed to take photos. She is presumed dead: Japanese student swept over Niagara Falls presumed dead.According to authorities, the victim is a 19-year-old Japanese student who was studying and living in the Toronto area. Her name has not been released and her body has not yet been recovered. Police were working with the Japanese consulate to notify her family.
Based on witness accounts and surveillance video, it just sounds like she wasn't being very careful:
The woman was with a friend. Surveillance footage from the nearby visitors' center shows that around 8:30 p.m. the victim climbed over the railing while holding an umbrella and sat on a block pillar with her legs straddling the rail, the Toronto Star says. When she stood up to climb down, she lost her footing and fell into the fast-moving river.It's horrific. But the craziest part, perhaps, is that the search for the woman actually turned up the body of another unidentified man: Niagara Falls search for Japanese woman turns up man.
During the search for her body this morning, the Erie County Sheriff's department did locate the remains of an unidentified male in the whirlpool of the lower Niagara River. Authorities are investigating that death separately.
One minute, she's taking pictures with a friend, and the next minute she's gone. And in that instant, there's nothing you can do. Man, I don't care how awesome that photo might be. Please be careful, people. More here: Student swept over Niagara Falls.
