A Polish woman on a dream vacation in Spain plunged to her death while attempting to snap the perfect selfie.
Teetering on the ledge of the Puente de Triana bridge in the city of Seville, medical student Sylwia Rajchel, 23, tried her best to take a photo of herself before the unthinkable happened — she slipped and fell 15 feet onto the concrete footings of the structure.
“This was a tragic accident and we are looking to make that stretch of boulevard along the river safer,” a city spokesman told Central European News.
Shortly after the crash landing, Rajchel went into cardiac arrest, but despite medics’ attempts to save her, she later died from her injuries, according to CEN.
“She was a beautiful, smiling girl who had her whole life ahead of her,” said Rajchel’s mother, Bernadeta, 44. “It’s hard to believe what’s happened, that I will never see Sylwia again.”
Rajchel had been studying to become a nurse at the University of Medicine in Posada, a village in southern Poland, CEN reports.
“Going to Spain was a dream come true for my daughter,” Bernadeta said. “She had taught herself the language and was hoping to work there in the future after finishing her studies.”
“It breaks my heart,” she added. “I feel this is [a] nightmare that is not happening.”
The Triana bridge was built in the middle of the 19th century and has become a popular spot for tourists looking to take scenic pictures alongside the Guadalquivir river. It is one of the most photographed landmarks in the region.