Louise Benson and Michael Kearns are thought to have overbalanced after dropping a phone top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Their bodies were found at 6.30am at the bottom of the sheer drop beside a popular beach in Portugal. Louise, 37, and Michael, a 33-year-old Australian, had reportedly been seen earlier sitting on the wall with their legs towards the sea. Police found a mobile at the scene and believe the couple dropped it while taking a picture at Fishermen’s Point in the town of Ericeira. Rescue services chief Rui Pereira da Terra said: “Everything seems to indicate that the fall happened as they were probably trying to take a selfie.” Everything seems to indicate that the fall happened as they were probably trying to take a selfie Rui Pereira da Terra - Rescue services chief The couple, both keen divers, had been living together in Perth, Western Australia. They were on a five-month holiday which had recently included attending a friend’s wedding. A day before the tragedy Louise, thought to come from Bristol, posted a picture of Michael relaxing in the sunshine with the cliff which would claim their lives in the background. Shocked and heartbroken friends paid tribute to the couple yesterday. Tina Dorant described Louise, who was a marine activist, as “my fellow ocean warrior”, adding: “I can’t believe it still and my heart goes out to your family and friends.” The beach with cliff at Ericeira Liz Catchpole wrote on Facebook: “No words can describe what we have lost. Your laughs amazing, your friendship invaluable.” John Keogh added: “It can be such a cruel world we live in.” Ericeira, a fishing town favoured by surfers, is renowned for its seafood restaurants and nightlife. Officials from both the UK and Australian governments said they were providing support to the families. Michael worked at the Chevron Wheatstone Project, a giant gas field development 700 miles north of Perth. His mother is believed to be travelling to Portugal from Australia. Mother-of-two Carmen Greenway died after falling off her bike moments after she took a selfie<doc-sep>A British woman and an Australian man have fallen to their deaths while apparently trying to take a selfie above a popular beach in Portugal. The couple were found below a 30-metre drop on the Praia dos Pescadores (Fisherman’s Beach), in the west coast town of Ericeira, and a mobile phone was discovered on the wall above the beach, Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã reported. The couple, who are both thought to be in their 30s were staying at a local hotel. A fisherman found the bodies when returning from work on Wednesday at about 6am local time, the paper reported. Rui Pereira da Terra, the head of the rescue service at the Cascais port near Lisbon, told the paper that authorities suspect the man and woman had been trying to take a picture together when they fell, or that they could have been trying to retrieve personal possessions that had been dropped. "We believe [the incident] occurred when one or both of them tried to take a selfie near the wall,” he said. He added it could have been “that they had seen the loss of [an] object, and in trying to recover it, they fell.” The paper also suggests other tourists may have seen the couple crossing a safety barrier above the cliff before the incident occurred. The fisherman who found the bodies initially thought there were people sleeping on the beach. But when he got closer he found a “scene of horror” at the bottom of the cliff, saying the couple were “unrecognisable”, the paper reported. He informed a beach cleaner who raised the alarm. Firefighters and the Maritime Police covered the bodies, and the deaths were confirmed by health officials. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil.<doc-sep>
A British woman and an Australian man have plunged to their deaths while apparently taking a selfie together at a beach in Portugal. A man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s were taking a picture on a 30-metre-high wall overlooking a popular tourist beach when they lost balance, police believe. A beach cleaner found the bodies on Tuesday morning on the sand of Pescadores beach in Ericeira, 30km from Lisbon. The couple are believed to have fallen between 1am and 6am. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that one Australian had died while the British Foreign Office said a British woman had passed away. Scroll down for video Tragedy: A man in his 40s and woman in her 30s were taking a picture on a 30-metre high wall (pictured) overlooking a popular tourist beach when they lost balance, police believe A beach cleaner found their bodies (pictured under covering) on Tuesday morning at Pescadores beach in Ericeira, 30km from Lisbon An Australian couple have fallen to their deaths in Portugal while apparently taking a selfie. Pictured is the beach wall they fell from 'Everything seems to indicate that the fall happened when they were probably trying to take a selfie,' said Rui Pereira da Terra, head of the rescue service in Cascais port. 'It seems they dropped their mobile phone and fell down while leaning over to retrieve it,' he added. Pescadores beach is ringed by cliffs and a 30-metre high wall covered in shrubs. A DFAT spokesperson said it was 'providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Portugal. 'The Department has been in contact with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office regarding the other person who died in the incident. Owing to our privacy obligations we will not provide further comment.' The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: 'We are in touch with local authorities following the death of a British woman in Portugal and stand ready to provide support to her family'. The beach is at a surfing town on Portugal's western Atlantic Ocean coast. It is a popular hotpot, with countless tourists uploading their pictures of the enormous wall on Instagram. Pescadores beach is ringed by cliffs and a 30-metre high wall covered in shrubs The beach (pictured in an Instagram post) is at a surfing town on Portugal's western Atlantic Ocean coast