A mainland Chinese hiker has died after falling off a 70-metre (230 feet) cliff on an outlying island in Hong Kong, with the Post learning the victim had lost his balance while taking pictures of the scenery.

Police received a report from one of the tourist’s friends at 10.18am on Wednesday that the victim, a 21-year-old man, had fallen from a viewing platform on Po Pin Chau into the sea.

Rescuers brought the man to the Fire Services Department’s nearby Sai Kung Fireboat Base, while officers investigated at the scene. The man was later certified dead.

“After preliminary investigation, police believe that the man fell off a 70-metre-high cliff into the sea,” the force said.

A source said the victim, a tourist from Guangzhou, and three of his friends were hiking on the island and resting at a pavilion near the cliff.

“The victim lost his balance and fell off the cliff while attempting to take photos of the natural scenery from the edge of the cliff,” the insider said.