A senior female tourist from Taiwan died Wednesday after falling from a cliff in a scenic spot in southwest China, the local police said on Thursday.

Following a Taiwan-based travel agency, the 69-year-old tourist was visiting the Guihai Stelae Forest, a famous tourist resort in Guilin, in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, but she did not return to the team on schedule after 30 minutes of free sightseeing.

The woman was later found lying on the flat roof of a building with feeble breath. Her head was bleeding and her jade bracelets have broken into pieces, according to a local travel agency.

Doctors and police immediately arrived at the spot and conducted first-aid treatment. However, the tourist stopped breathing after half an hour.

The senior tourist had possibly fallen by accident from the cliff about 10 meters high above because she got some contusions, and her body and legs have stains of lichen and leaves, a witness said.

The valuables of the tourist were intact, according to the witness.

Investigation into the accident is underway.

(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2005)