The miraculous survival of a tourist on a famous Greek island. Pictures from the rescue operation

A tourist from the USA was one step away from losing his life trying to immortalize his visit to a famous beach in Zakynthos, where many Romanians choose to spend their holidays, reports the Greek press.

The 22-year-old arrived on the island of Zakynthos on Monday on a day trip from Athens, where he was on holiday. According to Kathimerini, he was wearing inappropriate footwear and ignored the warning signs, including going past the protective fence located on the plateau above the beach.

In an attempt to get the “perfect frame” for a cliff-edge selfie with the shipwreck of the famous Navagio Beach in the background, the American slipped and fell into a precipice of around 300 metres.

He escaped with his life thanks to a pine tree that stopped his fall after the first ten meters or so of the steep slope. From there, the young man managed to alert the authorities, who were also called to help by other tourists who witnessed the incident.

The rescue operation was attended by 20 firefighters, with seven special vehicles, from the island's emergency services, including units specialized in difficult interventions.

Using special equipment, the rescuers managed to reach the hard-to-reach area and recover the American tourist.

After the successful mission, the Civil Protection of Zakynthos published images of the rescuers and the tourist who was in difficulty.

Local authorities have again appealed to tourists to follow the signs and not go beyond the protective railings, warning that there are major risks in the area.

The town hall also reported that, even this year, the administrative framework that would allow it to hire security personnel to supervise the tourist spot and inform visitors about the dangers has not yet been approved.

The US tourist is out of danger, but was taken to hospital by ambulance as a precaution for further investigation.