Victim’s final moments caught on camera before tragic fall at The Gap

A STUDENT was jumping across rocks and taking pictures at a popular tourist site in Western Australia. Then, he slipped.

ANKIT, an exchange student from India, was known among friends for being an adventurer and avid photographer.

The 20-year-old student had been studying in Perth for three months when he and a group of friends decided to take the five hour road trip down to The Gap, a popular tourist site in the south of Western Australia.

The dangerous rocks are surrounded by fences and warning signs, advising people to stay away from the edge, but it’s quite common for visitors to jump the fence and hover around the cliff’s edge.

People regularly diverge away from the viewing platform at The Gap. Picture: Tourism Western Australia

Ankit’s friends admitted the young man was “mucking around” when he allegedly slipped, plunging to his death.

He fell 40 metres on to the rocks at the notorious tourist hotspot and was swept out to sea.

Sahil Khenchi has now released the photo of his friend in his final moments, hoping the harrowing picture will serve as a warning to future visitors.

“It was like his hobby to take pictures in each and every moment,” Sahil told Channel 7 Perth, who obtained the picture.

“It’s like a warning for others,” he added.

The final photo of Ankit. Picture: 7 News

Ankit fell to his death on May 17 with previous reports claiming he was trying to take a selfie when he slipped and fell.

The group of exchange students had been in Australia for three months when they decided to take a road trip down to the site.

At around 2.30pm, friends saw him fall over the edge, hitting a number of rocks along the way. He landed and hit a rock at the bottom of the cliff.

A witness called triple-0 and said the man looked like he was unconscious after the fall.

Moments later a wave swept through the base and took the man’s body out into the ocean.

“I had to stop his friends from jumping in after him and going over the edge,” the witness told PerthNowlast week.

Authorities found Ankit’s body just before 4pm after local SES crews and a RAC rescue helicopter searched the area.

District Superintendent for the Great Southern Dominic Wood said it “was a surprise” to get the emergency call about the incident.

“All I know at this stage is that there is a small group, we think of about five young adults, they were down here within the vicinity of the platform behind me around the rocks.

“In any circumstances for someone to lose their life … is just horrible. It’s horrible for the family, its horrible for the first responders, it’s horrible for the people who witnessed this event.

“It is a dangerous area but if you take precautions and stay between the bounds, then these things won’t happen,” he added.

Ankit’s body will be sent home to his family in India.