Sophia Cheung death: Hong Kong influencer dies after falling while taking photo at edge of waterfall

Cheung, 32, was known for taking scenic pictures while exploring Hong Kong

Representative: In this 29 February 2020 photo, hikers take pictures on High Junk Peak overlooking Clearwater Bay in the Tsuen Kwan O area of Hong Kong (AFP via Getty Images)

Sophia Cheung, a 32-year-old Hong Kong-based social media influencer died after falling from the edge of a waterfall near a renowned hiking destination there, according to reports.

On Saturday, Cheung was hiking near Ha Pak Lai, a popular park surrounded by Pineapple Mountain. She was reportedly taking a photo near the edge of a waterfall on the Tsing Dai stream, when she slipped and fell into a 16-foot-deep pool.

Her friends called the police and she was subsequently rushed to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Hong Kong’s Chai Wan district, where she was pronounced dead.

Cheung, who had nearly 25,000 followers on Instagram, was known to take scenic pictures while exploring Hong Kong, performing hiking stunts and for her nature photography.

The bio of her handle read, “life should be not dumb”. Her social media posts have been flooded with comments from followers expressing grief at the news of her death.

In a similar tragic incident, a 23-year-old social media influencer died last Saturday in Mexico after falling from the top of a waterfall. Her body was recovered after a 12-hour-long search and rescue operation.

In January, a woman in India died after falling into a river while trying to take a selfie. The fire department looked for her body for 22 hours, before they finding it in a stone cavity almost 400 metres away from the spot.

In yet another incident, a woman from Kazakhstan died after falling off a high cliff in Turkey last year, while posing for a photograph. She was celebrating the end of a coronavirus lockdown with a friend.

In January 2019, another social media influencer died after falling from a ravine at Taiwan’s Yushan national park. According to an AFP report, the 36-year-old called her friends using a satellite phone informing them about her fall.

The rescuers struggled to reach her due to unfavourable weather conditions and eventually found her lifeless body.