Tourist falls off pier due to Facebook feed distraction
The tourist from Taiwan was walking along St Kilda pier, near Melbourne.
(Web Desk) - A tourist in Australia had to be rescued by police after plunging off a pier while browsing Facebook on her phone, officials have said.
The Taiwanese woman was walking along St Kilda pier, near Melbourne, on Monday night when she became distracted by her Facebook feed and plummeted into the chilly water of Port Phillip Bay, Victoria state police said.
A witness called for help and police rushed by speedboat to the woman s aid. They found her floating in the water 20 minutes later, about 20 meters (65 feet) from the pier.
"She was still out in the water lying on her back in a floating position because she told us later that she couldn t swim," Senior Constable Dean Kelly of the state water police told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "She still had her mobile phone in her hand and initially she apologized and said sorry."
The woman was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Constable Kelly called on people to take greater care when using social media around water.
