The couple’s photo would become famous for a traumatic reason
An unassuming photo of two tourists standing together at Niagara Falls would go on to become famous as it revealed a woman’s final moments before tragedy struck.
One of many outstanding natural beauty spots in North America, Niagara Falls straddles the boarder between the US state of New York and Canada, attracting approximately 12 million visitors every year.
With an insanely high amount of footfall, it means that tourists sometimes have to go to extreme lengths in order to get their perfect photo, which can lead to devastating consequences.
The beauty spot attracts millions of visitors per year (Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
It’s believed that around 5000 people have fallen into the famous landmark – either intentionally or accidentally – since 1850, with only 16 people reported to have survived the plunge.
On 14 August 2011, Canadian couple Andrea Smith and Jason Watson were visiting the falls and posed for a photo together in front of the popular Horseshoe Falls section of the national park, which lies just over the Canadian side of the boarder.
The couple would get there photo taken together at the viewpoint and while the image looks like any other tourist photo taken in the region, it was actually captured seconds before disaster.
On the upper left-hand side of the photo, a woman dressed in red and be seen stood up, seemingly crossing over the railing separating visitors from the drop. This woman was 20-year-old Ayano Tokumasu and her story would go on to serve as a tragic warning for anyone considering ignoring safety regulations to get the perfect photo.
Originally from Japan, Tokumasu was an exchange student attending an Toronto’s Hansa Language Centre in Ontario and had decided to visit the attraction on this fateful day.
The last photo of Ayano Tokumasu (Reddit)
Visiting the site with a friend, Tokumasu hopped over the railing so her friend could get a picture of her without other people in the background. However, when she attempted to climb back over to safety the student lost her balance, fell backwards into the water and was swept away.
Eyewitnesses on the day would state that Tokumasu appeared to be straddling the railings in order to get a better view of the scenery. It would take another four days before Tokumasu’s body was located and recovered from the deep waters.
Smith would later speak out about unintentionally capturing her last moments on camera, telling Canadian newspaper Windsor Star (via Huffpost): “It actually gave me a chill [looking at the photo].
“We could have done something to save her and we didn’t.”
Featured Image Credit: (Reddit / Getty Stock Images)
