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A 45-year-old New Zealand tourist fell off a train on the "Death Railway" in Thailand on Dec. 27, after he allegedly attempted to take a selfie of the view.
According to The Nation, Sai Yok Police Station was alerted at 11.50am that a foreign tourist had died after falling about 10m from a train.
His body was found below the "Death Railway" at Krasae Cave in the Sai Yok district.
The tourist was identified as Patrick Ward. He was born in New Zealand and an Irish national, reported The Daily Mail.
He apparently travelled to Thailand on Dec. 26 on a tourist visa.
Tried to take a Selfie but slipped and fell
Colonel Phuchong Narong-in, commander of the police, said in a statement that Ward was part of a tour group led by a tour guide from the River Kwai bridge, and Ward rode the train to see the "Death Railway".
The Daily Mail reported that witnesses saw Ward open a door of the train when the train slowed down at a scenic spot and tried to take a selfie of the view outside.
However, he slipped on the steps at the door and fell to his death.
A tourist on the same train who was capturing the surrounding scenery subsequently caught a video of Ward falling from the train.
In the video, Ward could be seen falling on his back out of the train.
Rescue efforts
As there is no ladder or any other way to climb down in that area, rescuers had to create a makeshift pulley system to lower themselves down and pull up the body, the The Nation reported.
When rescuers spotted Ward, he was barely breathing, said the police. Ward's right arm and neck broke in the fall.
Rescuers tried to resuscitate Ward for half an hour but to no avail.
The police said they would contact the New Zealand Embassy in Bangkok to take custody of the body for the funeral.
The "Death Railway"
The "Death Railway" was built from 1940 to 1943 by civilians and World War II prisoners of war.
It connects Thailand and Burma and was meant to help supply troops and weapons in Japan's campaign in Burma during World War II.
An estimated 180,000 to 250,000 Southeast Asian civilians and 60,000 Allied POWs were forced by the Japanese to work on the railroad.
Over 100,000 of them died over the course of its construction.
Top photo from Pixabay