A 33-year-old woman has fallen to her death at a popular city viewpoint while trying to take a selfie sitting on a handrail in front of a sheer drop.

Cristina Valdeavellano Mansilla fell seven metres (23 feet) to her death at the Cerro de la Cruz observation deck in the city of Punta Arenas in Chile’s southernmost region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica on 2nd November.

According to the news site Publimetro, the young woman parked her car on Senoret Street and went to the observation deck to take photos.

She was sitting on the handrail at the viewpoint, trying to take a selfie with the cityscape in the background, when she fell backwards and reportedly landed hard on her head.

She died instantly at the scene.

Although the local authorities are waiting for the results of an autopsy and currently suspect that the woman’s death was accidental, the police said they are not ruling out the possibility of foul play.

Police chief Jonathan Venegas also called on residents and tourists to be careful taking snaps at viewpoints, adding: “Although photographs are a memory that lasts a lifetime, they must be taken in places where there is no danger, and one must not cross security barriers and instead consider whether it is worth taking such a photo or to continue being with your loved ones.”

The investigation is ongoing.

Last week, a 33-year-old woman fell 100 feet to her death while posing for a photo on the edge of a cliff in Belgium.

Zoe Snoeks’ husband Joeri Janssen told Newsflash that his wife was posing for photos on the edge of the cliff when “she told me to look out for the dogs”.

“I turned to the dogs and told them to wait. When I turned back to Zoe, she was no longer there. She had just vanished. It must have happened in less than five seconds.

“I didn’t see or hear anything. No rustling, no screams or shouts. I looked up and saw only dust.”