Yesterday, a Chinese tourist’s trip to Victoria Falls in Zambia took a turn for the worst.

While capturing photos of the massive falls, 45-year-old Wang Shun Xue lost his footing and plunged 49 feet into the gorge.

According to the manager of the National Heritage Conservation Commission in Livingstone, John Zulu mentioned how fortunately Xue didn’t fall at a location where the outcome could have been a lot more fatal.

“The depth of the gorge is 25 meters but where he fell from, it’s about 15 meters because some places there are slopes,” he told AFP.

A rock miraculously embraced his fall. Xue suffered only minor injuries including a bruise to the arm.

Xue was taken to a local clinic and then caught a plane to leave the country.

Victoria Falls, located on the Zambezi River, is a 354 feet dive into blinding water, sharp rocks and crocodiles. As a popular hot spot for tourists, the waterfall runs between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Although Xue’s survival appears to be astonishing, there have been others before him who have also defeated death at Victoria Falls.

In 2012 on New Year’s Eve, 22-year-old Australian tourist, Erin Langworthy, bungee jumped straight into the Zambezi River after her cord snapped loose. She recovered after a week in a South African hospital.

Here is a video showing Langworthy’s near-death plunge.

 Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons