Family denies selfie caused temple fall

Family denies selfie caused temple fall

Relatives of the Thai tourist who fell from a cliff in Bhutan claim she was "not taking a selfie" before she plummeted to her death.

Narawat Bawornjirapat, 54, fell from the narrow path leading to Taktsang monastery on Friday while she was on a trip with a tour group.

Narawat's younger sister, Sompit Manaswiraporn, said the family does not believe reports her sister was trying to take a selfie when she fell. She asked the media to stop repeating the claim.

Bhutan's national newspaper Kuensel said Narawat may have been trying to take a picture of the Taktsang monastery when she leaned against a flag pole that gave way, or that she slipped as she was taking the picture.

Although police have not yet determined the cause of her fall, they believe she might have leaned towards the edge of the cliff, and failed to notice the absence of a railing.

Her body was found after a four-hour search and brought back to Thailand the following day. The funeral ceremony started on Saturday night.

"We are waiting for the confirmation from the authorities as to whether it was an accident," she said. Her sister wasn't adept with gadgets although she was using a smart phone.

Ms Sompit said the family was grieving for the loss and felt bad when the media claimed she was trying to take a selfie.

The victim's daughter allegedly posted a message on her Facebook account saying her mother leaned too close to the edge but was not attempting to photograph herself.

Narawat, the owner of Louie Crane & Transport Co Ltd in Pathum Thani province, was travelling to Bhutan with a tour group.

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