California girl dies in fall from scenic Arizona overlook

Horseshoe Bend near Page, Arizona where a teenage girl fell to her death. Photo / AP

A teenage girl has died after falling off a cliff at a popular US tourist spot.

The 14-year-old girl from California was visiting Arizona landmark Horseshoe Bend when she plunged over the edge of the lookout in what appears to be an accidental fall.

The body of the girl, whose name has not yet been released, was found 213 metres below the lookout spot. Her family had reported her missing on Christmas Eve in the afternoon, but her body was not found until Christmas Day, Coconino County sheriff's officials said.

The cliffs around Horseshoe Bend in Arizona where a teenage girl fell to her death. The spot has become popular with travellers in the age of Instagram. Photo / Getty

An Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter spotted her body.

The tourist destination gives a view of a horseshoe-shaped span of the Colorado River flowing below red cliffs near the Arizona-Utah border. There are no safety barriers.

Sheriff's deputies say the teen was visiting from the San Jose, California, area. They believe the fall was an accident but are still investigating.

The tragedy is not the first death at Horeshoe Bend. In May, 33-year-old Zachary Wallace from Phoenix fell over the edge of the cliff and did not survive the fall.

People do risky things to get the perfect image for social media. Authorities believe the girl died in an accidental fall at the scenic spot. Photo / Instagram

At the time, Coconino County Sheriff's Office told local radio station ABC15 a safety railing was in the process of being installed.

Horseshoe Bend, once a little-known spot on the Arizona-Utah border, has seen a dramatic rise in tourism as a result of social media.

"[Before Instagram] a few hundred people might stop each day during the summer road-trip season. In winter, maybe just a few dozen … it's estimated that two million people would visit in 2018," the Arizona Central reported.

- AP