Tourist dies taking photo at Machu Picchu

The tourist ignored warnings from safety wardens at Machu Picchu. Photo / iStock

A German tourist has died after falling down a ravine while taking a photo at the ancient city of Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes.

Officials said Oliver Park, 51, ignored safety warnings from warnings before heading to a restricted area close to a cliff, the BBC reported.

It was understood he had tried to pose for a photograph as if he was flying, by jumping in the air, but lost his footing and fell.

His body was recovered on Thursday (local time) by a rescue team.

Deaths involving 'selfie' photographs have become more common due to the prevalence of personal mobile devices.

Figures released earlier this year by Priceonomics showed India was the number one location for deaths by selfie, followed by Russia and the United States.

In response to the trend, the Russian Interior Ministry published a "Safe Selfie" guide to help prevent further deaths, while in India, Mumbai declared 16 "no-selfie zones" across the city.

The most common cause of selfie death was falling from a height, but there have also been reports of plane crashes, gunshots and animals being involved.

Selfies have been the cause of at least 49 deaths around the world since 2014.

- nzherald.co.nz