17 June 2023 , 12:29
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A tree may have saved the life of an American tourist brutally attacked and thrown off a cliff near a beauty spot in Germany while her friend tragically died.
Kelsey Chang, 22, survived the attack and it may have been because of a fallen tree that broke the 165ft fall near the Neuschwanstein 'Cinderella-style' castle.
Video footage showed German mountain rescuers being lowered down from a helicopter where the two friends landed together.
The tree - a woman is shown clinging to the top of it- is just above a far steeper part of the cliff.
Kelsey was with her friend Eva Liu when they were attacked. Both had to be airlifted to the hospital and Eva later died.
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Kelsey is still in a hospital in Germany.
Kelsey Chang (Facebook)
Eva Liu passed away in hospital (Linkedin/Eva Liu)A man, also from the US, allegedly attacked her and her friend after luring them there.
The man, who has not yet been identified, allegedly killed Eva and seriously injured Kelsey by throwing them 160ft down a ravine after sexually assaulting one and brawling with her companion at the famous 'Disney' castle in Germany, police said.
The castle is a huge tourist draw, attracting 1.4 million visitors each year and 6,000 each day in the summer months.
German mountain rescuers lowered down from a helicopter (@VeryChopped/Twitter)The 30-year-old man, who was later arrested on suspicion of the horrific crimes, had met the two women the same day on a narrow bridge that crosses the 300-ft gaping gorge surrounding the castle.
He is said to have convinced the pair to accompany him to a lookout point at the popular tourist attraction, but when they got there he "physically attacked" the younger of the two, police said.
The castle is a popular tourist attraction (Getty Images)Her pal then tried to defend her, but he reportedly choked her before pushing her down a steep slope.
Cops said he then allegedly tried to carry out a sexual offence before he tried to push the 21-year-old down the slope too.
She fell nearly 50 meters (165 feet), ending up close to her friend.
"According to the current state of knowledge, an attempted sexual offence to the detriment of the 21-year-old must be assumed," said police in a statement in English.
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An American man, 30, was arrested (thefrownyface/Twitter)"The 22-year-old wanted to help, so he choked her and pushed her down the slope."
Associate chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Robin Kaler told the Mirror the death of Liu was “senseless.”
She said in a statement: “Our University of Illinois family is mourning the senseless death of Ms Liu and the attack on Ms Chang.
"Both had just graduated in May and should have been able to celebrate such an important accomplishment without the fear of such a tragic outcome."