Number 10 Unnamed women In July of 2021, two young women plunged off
the top of a 6,300-foot cliff in the Sulak Canyon of Dagestan, Russia, while on a precipice
swing set.
They had been rocking back and forth, for almost a minute, while somebody from the staff
of the tourist attraction was pushing them from behind to create more momentum.
At some point, as the swing was again going towards the edge, one of the chains holding
the seat snapped, launching the women over the steep cliffs.
Luckily, they landed on a small wooden platform installed just beyond the edge, which broke
their fall and ended up saving their lives.
The two women were dragged back to safety by shocked onlookers and they miraculously
suffered no grave injuries.
Number 9 Michelle Meder On June the 20th of 2021, 53-year-old Michelle
Meder of Hudson, Ohio, was hiking on the Toronto Trail, near Monument Creek in the Grand Canyon
National Park, as part of a three-day backpacking trip from Hermit to Bright Angel Trail.
She was accompanied by her husband, her two adult children and a friend of the children.
As the temperature reached about 115 degrees, she grew disoriented and later became unconscious.
In an attempt to get help, the three younger adults left the group and ended up hiking
for two miles downhill to a commercial rafting boat equipped with a satellite phone.
The National Park Service received their call about the woman suffering from heat illness,
at around 1:15 pm, and sent rangers to help.
A few days prior, they’d issued a warning informing tourists that rescue efforts would
be delayed during the summer because of limited staff and reduced helicopter flying capability,
stemming from the extreme heat and the higher number of calls.
Unfortunately, by the time they managed to arrive at her location, Meder had already
passed away.
The rangers believed the cause to have been heat-related, but the woman’s death is still
under investigation.
Number 8 Gayleen McEwan In July of 2017, a 57-year-old mother-of-three
was killed by the blast of a jet engine while visiting the seaside airport of Princess Juliana
on Sint Maarten, in the Caribbean.
Gayleen McEwan, from New Zealand, was on holiday with her husband and friends.
They wanted to see Maho Beach, a spot that has become famous over the years for the beachside
airplane runway where tourists can watch jets touch down at just 100 feet above their heads.
When they got there, McEwan and her family approached to the fence separating the beach
from the runway, despite the written signs that warned the tourists not to get too close.
They were clinging to the fence as a Boeing 737 was taking off.
McEwan was desperately trying to hold onto it as the airplane’s engine blasted.
After only a couple of seconds, she lost her grip and was blown away into the concrete
barrier behind her.
As she fell, McEwan hit her head, suffering devastating injuries.
Paramedics rushed to the scene and desperately struggled to save the woman, after seeing
that she hadn’t immediately passed away.
Unfortunately, according to reports, McEwan succumbed to her injuries shortly afterwards.
Number 7 Suzanne Astle In October of 2016, 48-year-old Suzanne Astle,
from Kenilworth, England, was on a half-term holiday, in South Africa, with her husband
and their two sons.
Early in the morning of October the 26th, they embarked on a hot air balloon, in Skeerpoort,
along with 10 other tourists.
The balloon reportedly took off in good weather conditions but, as it approached the town
of Mooinooi, it was swept away by high winds and soon crashed between two trees.
According to a paramedic who was at the scene, the basket tilted when it was around 20 feet
from the ground, causing Astle and two other passengers to be thrown over.
The woman suffered grave injuries to her head and was taken to the nearest hospital.
She arrived about four hours later, along with her husband and two sons, who were also
injured.
Although her family survived, Astle didn’t recover and she died later that day.
The investigation report found that the pilot was inexperienced and had decided to execute
the landing in unsafe conditions.
Moreover, the pilot was the only one securely fastened in the basket and had also failed
to radio for help after the crash.
Number 6 Sheida Hosseinzadeh Elk River Falls, in North Carolina, is a tourist
attraction popular among thrill-seeking travelers.
The 50-foot mountain waterfall cascades over a rock cliff and into an oval pool which is
safe for swimming.
However, diving from the rock cliff has proven to be deadly on numerous occasions.
In August of 2015, 26-year-old Sheida Hosseinzadeh, a student at UNC-Charlotte, was visiting the
falls with her friends and family.
She decided to jump from the top of the waterfall and launched herself over the cascade.
According to an onlooker who witnessed the scene, she’d come up, at first, but was
then quickly pulled below the water’s surface.
People at the scene immediately called the emergency services and about 54 responders,
from various agencies, arrived at the scene and worked together in an effort to save the
young woman.
They, unfortunately, were unsuccessful, as they later found her lifeless body after more
than four hours of searching the premises.
Multiple media outlets later reported that Hosseinzadeh had jumped into a shallow portion
of the pool and could have been injured by hitting an underwater ledge.
Number 5 Guatape Boat Tragedy On June the 25th of 2017, a four-story tourist
ferryboat, with nearly 170 passengers on board, sank in Guatape, 28 miles east of Medellin,
Colombia.
Shortly after the ship began its cruise, passengers reportedly heard a loud explosion near the
men’s bathroom.
The boat began teetering back and forth and started sinking rapidly.
Tourists immediately started climbing to upper decks in an attempt to stay above the surface,
while other boats and jet-skis that were nearby rushed to save as many people as they could.
Rescue boats helped 99 people to safety and 40 others reached the shore themselves.
Nine people died in the incident.
Many survivors claimed they hadn’t been given life vests upon embarking.
The cause of the accident has not been made public.
However, Marilyn Usme, a local business owner, reported there had been a previous incident,
involving the same boat, three months prior to the tragedy.
The woman told a local radio station that it all happened at night, with no passengers
on board at the time, and that the boat was fixed and put back into circulation.
Number 4 Kristi Kafcaloudis On September 5th of 2015, 24-year-old Kristi
Kafcaloudis, from Queensland, Australia, was hiking a Norwegian trail up to Trolltunga,
along with some friends.
They reached the popular panoramic rock formation, which translates as “Troll Tongue” and
juts horizontally from the mountain, high above Lake Ringedalsvatnet.
Upon reaching the edge, Kafcaloudis lost her balance and fell to her death 980 feet, into
a gorge.
According to the early reports that followed the accident, it seemed that the young woman
was attempting to take a selfie when she fell.
However, her mother later made a statement saying Kafcaloudis was not taking a photo.
As the spot was especially crowded that day, she’d been waiting out on the rock for other
people to pass so that she could rejoin her friends who were walking ahead.
Number 3 Andrea Watton On August the 8th of 2010, 21-year-old Andrea
Watton from Salisbury, England, was on an expedition with friends in the Swiss Alps.
They were on an adventure route, known as the Gorges Alpins, near the resort of Saas-Fee,
where they were using bridges, seps, steel cables and a ladder.
At one point, they decided to go on a cable ride to cross a ravine.
When they got on their third cable on the route, Watton allegedly decided not to use
a safety rope implement.
As police spokesman Vincent Favre explained, every zip wire has two cables for the harness
and another one attached to wheels, meant to help the rider slow down and brake.
When Watton made a choice to only fix two hooks to the cable, before going down the
line, her companions had their reservations.
In spite of their concerns, the student launched herself onto the zip line but, upon approaching
the other side, she was unable to brake.
She violently crashed into a rock face, at full speed, and died instantly.
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Number 2 Alexander Hellweger On March the 1st of 2015, 28-year-old Italian
man Alexander Hellweger was on vacation, in Alaska, along with seven friends.
Initially, they’d been transported by helicopter to the backcountry for heli-skiing and snowboarding.
Later, the group’s guides took them to Lake George Glacier, north of Anchorage.
As they were nearing the head of the glacier and viewing it up close, they decided to gather
for a group photo.
That’s when a large piece of ice began cracking.
Some members of the party ran at the sound, but Hellweger didn’t manage to escape.
The massive fragment eventually broke off and fell onto him, crushing him to death.
The troopers weren’t able to immediately recover his body, due to diminishing light
and the danger of more ice breaking.
Number 1 Yecenia Morales On July the 18th of 2021, 25-year-old Yecenia
Morales and her boyfriend were on a bridge in Amaga, northern Colombia, preparing for
a bungee jump.
The staff had fixed on her harness, but were still in the process of attaching her cord
when her boyfriend received the leap signal.
Morales heard it and mistakenly thought the signal was meant for her.
She proceeded to jump from the bridge, without the safety cord, and fell to her death 150
feet from the viaduct.
To put that drop into perspective, it would be like falling from halfway up the Statue
of Liberty.
Morales’ boyfriend rushed to the spot where she’d crashed, to try and help her.
He was the first one to find her body on the ground and performed CPR, but she was already
dead.
As doctors later revealed, Morales had suffered a heart attack before reaching the ground.
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