A Dutch honeymooner has become the first person to survive a fall from the World’s End, a 4,000-foot (1,200-metre) cliff that is one of Sri Lanka’s main tourist attractions, the Sri Lankan military said on February 21.

The 35-year-old man had taken a few steps back to take pictures of his new bride when he flew off the unprotected cliff, army spokesman Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera said.

“He was extremely lucky because he fell on top of a tree about 130 feet from the top,” Jayanath Jayaweera told AFP.

“He is the first person to survive a fall from World’s End.”

Rescue troops used ropes to reach the man and winch him to safety. Some 40 soldiers were involved in the initial rescue which was later backed by a military helicopter.

The man had to be evacuated from the area on the shoulders of troops who carried him over a distance of 3 miles to the nearest point at which he could be driven to hospital.

The World’s End cliff is the main attraction at the Horton Plains nature reserve in central Sri Lanka and is a key tourist attraction.