A daredevil Instagram influencer, who loved taking risky photographs, plunged to her death while taking selfies at the edge of a waterfall in Hong Kong. Sofia Cheung, 32, slipped and fell off the Tsing Dai stream in Tuen Mun, near the district of Yuen Long, at around 5 pm on Saturday.
Cheung, was rushed to a nearby hospital by her friends who were accompanying her but she succumbed to her injuries soon after. Her sudden death has left thousands of her fans shocked, who have been paying tribute since then.
Shocking Death
According to The Sun, the shocking incident happened on Saturday. Cheung and three of her friends had embarked on a trip to Ha Pak Lai park around 11 am. It was a day trip and group visited the scenic stream where the social media influencer was taking selfies.
Cheung who was known for being a daredevil had decided to take selfies at the edge of a waterfall at the park's Pineapple Mountain site, a popular spot with hikers at sunset. However, while taking selfies at the edge, she somehow lost her footing and over the steep drop and fell into the 16-foot pool below.
The entire incident happened in front of Cheung's horrified friends, who immediately called emergency services. After help reached, she was whisked to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan in Hong Kong. However, she was pronounced dead on arrival, the Sun reported.
The area of Ha Pak Lai, situated near Pineapple Mountain, is a popular spot for hikers, especially at sunset for its picturesque views and the incident happened exactly at that place.
Fans Shocked
Cheung's death was a freak accident and police don't see any foul play although the edge from where she fell isn't that dangerous. According to authorities, the accident happened just because she tripped and lost control.
Cheung was popular among her social media followers for her risky adventures. She would often post photos of herself hanging off cliff edges and scaling mountaintops overlooking steep drops and give them interesting captions like: "Life should be fun not dumb."
She enjoyed spending time outdoors and her Instagram page lists her main passions as hiking, kayaking, exploring, outdoor activities and photography.
Cheung's last-ever Instagram photo which she posted for his more than 6,000 followers on July 9, depicted her sitting in the surf while holding a boogie board. The caption read, "Better Days are coming. They are called: Saturday and Sunday."
The haunting photo has since been inundated with condolences, with one bereaved fan writing, "RIP don't wanna believe this happened to you." Another heartbroken fan wrote, "thought better days are coming when Saturday and Sunday? will gonna miss your chat every day. I love you always. rest in peace my pretty sofi."
That said, Cheung isn't the first to perish while snapping an ill-advised photo. In January, an Indian woman plunged to her death while taking selfies near a waterfall. And in another shocking incident last year, a Kazakhstan woman died after falling over 100 feet off a cliff in Turkey while posing for a photo to commemorate the end of the local coronavirus lockdown.
