A couple posing for a sweet photo at Niagara Falls had no idea that tragedy was just behind them.
How many people Couple posed for a photo at one of the largest tourist Hotspots. But they didn’t know that the photo captured the moment just before a student slipped and fell to her death Niagara Falls.
The picture was taken on August 14, 2011, coincidentally at the same time that Japanese student Ayano Tokumasu was visiting the Canadian side of the famous falls with a classmate at the Hansa Language Centre in Toronto.
Tokumasu, 20, dressed in red, posed for photos taken by her friend and became bolder as she climbed onto the barrier and sat with one leg on each side of the metal railing.
However, as she attempted to climb back to safety, video footage from a nearby visitor center showed that she apparently lost her balance and fell into the water.
Four days later, Tokumasu’s body was found by employees of a park attraction in New York State on the American side of the Niagara River.
Niagara Parks Police Chief Doug Kane said at the time: “We have received information from the State Parks Police confirming that the remains found yesterday are those of the missing student who fell into the river last Sunday.”
While her family did not comment publicly on Tokumasu’s untimely death, Masaya Otsuka, a diplomat at the Japanese Embassy in Toronto, spoke on her behalf.
According to the Toronto StarOtsuka said: “Of course, this is also a great tragedy for the family. The family is deeply shocked.”
How to join indy100’s free WhatsApp channel
Sign up for our free weekly Indy100 newsletter
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to move this article up the Indy100 rankings.
