Russian woman dies after falling from 290-foot chimney while posing for selfie
Elizaveta Gushchina, 45, slipped from the top of an unfinished thermal power plant after a successful rope jump, local authorities and media said.
A 45-year-old Russian woman died after slipping from the top of an approximately 290-foot-high chimney while attempting to take a selfie with her son, local authorities and state media reported.
Elizaveta Gushchina had successfully completed a dangerous rope-jumping stunt at the unfinished thermal power plant on Saturday and returned to the chimney with her 22-year-old son, Nikita, authorities said. She was not wearing a safety harness when she lost her footing and fell, RIA Novosti and local outlets reported.
Russian state media cited a source who told REN TV that Gushchina had earlier secured herself to a rope used for rope jumping but "did not set the required safe length." As she approached the edge of the chimney, the source said, she slipped on a wet board, fell from the height and struck a hard surface above ground before tumbling further. Dramatic video shared on Telegram shows her taking part in the successful rope jump at the same chimney moments before she fell, according to reports.
Local authorities identified Gushchina as a mother of two and described her as an enthusiast of extreme sports. Officials said the fall occurred in front of her son, who had been present to mark the completion of the stunt. Media reports gave the chimney's height alternately as 289 and 290 feet.
State outlets relayed details provided by emergency services and local investigative sources but did not give the precise location of the unfinished power plant or the name of the city where the incident took place. The available reporting did not specify whether an official criminal investigation had been opened; Russian outlets typically report such actions when they are confirmed by investigative authorities.
The accident highlights risks associated with high‑altitude stunts and taking photographs near edges without proper fall protection, authorities and safety experts have said in similar incidents. Rope-jumping and other extreme sports have grown in popularity in recent years in Russia and elsewhere, drawing participants to industrial structures and remote natural sites.
Family members and acquaintances have not issued public statements in the reports published so far. Media coverage relied on video shared on social platforms and on accounts from emergency responders and unnamed sources conveyed to RIA Novosti and REN TV.
Investigative and emergency services in the region provided most of the factual details reported by state media outlets; those accounts remain the primary public source of information about the circumstances of Gushchina's death.