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Tag: tourist attraction

  • Victoria Falls: Chinese Tourist Survives Plunge

    As one of the seven natural wonders of the world, Victoria Falls is also home to tourism. There are not only beautiful pictures taken at this foreign destination and tourist hotspot, but unfortunate events that do occur while doing so. In this case, the unfortunate event transformed into nothing short of a miracle.

    According to a tourism official, a Chinese tourist fell into a gorge at the largest waterfall in the world, Victoria Falls, while attempting to capture memories of his trip with his camera. On Wednesday, November 27, 2013, Wang Shun Xue plunged into the shallow part of the gorge and thankfully survived, with “only minor injuries,” as stated by John Zulu, manager of the National Heritage Conservation Commission in Livingstone. “He looked shocked because of the accident,” he said.

    There have been numerous injuries and near-death occurrences for tourists visiting Victoria Falls. In 2012, Erin Langworthy, a 22-year-old Australian bungee jumper, was taking a plunge off the Victoria Falls Bridge. She broke free from her cord and ended up in the Zambezi River, which was infested with crocodiles. “It went black straight away and I felt like I had been slapped all over,” she said. Langworthy was stranded in the water with her feet still tied together by the bungee cord, yet only suffered minor injuries. She was not the only one who had a near-death experience.

    As Xue moved close to the ledge, he lost his footing, and fell on a rock, suffering bruises on his arm. “The depth of the gorge is 25 metres (82 feet), but where he fell from, it’s about 15 metres (49 feet) because some places there are slopes,” Zulu explained. Yet, Victoria Falls, which is located on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe, plunges 108 metres (354 feet) at its deepest point to sharp rocks below. The plunge could have easily been fatal, but Xue miraculously escaped almost unscathed. He was immediately taken to a local clinic for treatment and took a plane directly out of the country.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Victoria Falls Plunge: Chinese Tourist Survives 49-Feet Leap

    Yesterday, a Chinese tourist’s trip to Victoria Falls in Zambia took a turn for the worst.

    While capturing photos of the massive falls, 45-year-old Wang Shun Xue lost his footing and plunged 49 feet into the gorge.

    According to the manager of the National Heritage Conservation Commission in Livingstone, John Zulu mentioned how fortunately Xue didn’t fall at a location where the outcome could have been a lot more fatal.

    “The depth of the gorge is 25 meters but where he fell from, it’s about 15 meters because some places there are slopes,” he told AFP.

    A rock miraculously embraced his fall. Xue suffered only minor injuries including a bruise to the arm.

    Xue was taken to a local clinic and then caught a plane to leave the country.

    Victoria Falls, located on the Zambezi River, is a 354 feet dive into blinding water, sharp rocks and crocodiles. As a popular hot spot for tourists, the waterfall runs between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

    Although Xue’s survival appears to be astonishing, there have been others before him who have also defeated death at Victoria Falls.

    In 2012 on New Year’s Eve, 22-year-old Australian tourist, Erin Langworthy, bungee jumped straight into the Zambezi River after her cord snapped loose. She recovered after a week in a South African hospital.

    Here is a video showing Langworthy’s near-death plunge.

     

     Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

  • Statue of Liberty Reopens Amid Government Shutdown

    A vast number of federal sectors were effected by the partial federal government shutdown. But, what most people weren’t aware of prior to the shutdown was that it would cause a ripple effect that would merge into other areas. The Statue of Liberty was one entity that suffered the consequences.

    Liberty Island National Park is one of the 33 sites under New York’s National Park Jurisdiction to be effected by the shut down. The sites have been closed since Oct. 1, as a result of the shutdown.

    A message was posted on the official Twitter time-line for the Statue of Liberty to announce the park’s closure due to the shutdown.

    However, on Saturday, a decision was made to reopen the park. But, the executive decision to reopen didn’t come as a government call. In a brief statement released on Friday, Gov. Andew Cuomo announced that the state of New York would initially foot the bill. According to USA Today, the statement entailed that the state of New York would pay approximately $61,600 a day to reopen through Oct. 18. The daily expenditures will be used to operate the park and the ferry which transports visitors to the monument site on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.

    An official announcement of the re-opening was also placed on the official Statue of Liberty Facebook page. The statement said:

    The Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island will be open October 13th through October 18th due to an agreement with the State of New York. Liberty Island is open to all ticket holders. The Pedestal and Crown will be open to those who have made reservations in advance. Reservations should made with at Statue Cruises www.statuecruises.com. Ellis Island remains closed at this time. 

    Liberty Island National Park. Liberty Island, located on the New York Harbor, brings in approximately 4 million visitors per year, which equates to an estimate of $174 million in economic activity. Today, Cuomo stressed how imperative it is to reopen the tourist attraction in the best interest of the state and its visitors. “When you close down the Statue of Liberty, you close down a good portion of the tourism that comes to New York City, and that is untold millions of dollars of damage,” Cuomo said.

    The Statue of Liberty landmark park was one of 10 national parks and monuments to reopen this weekend under similar state government stipulations.
    Image via Wikimedia Commons