Russian woman plunges to her death while posing for holiday pictures on a cliff top in Dubai
- Julia Khabibulina, 34, from Ufa in Russia, slipped after posing on a cliff edge
- Russian media reported she squatted at the edge and plunged 32ft into the sea
- Friends said Julia left Russia before the coronavirus outbreak and hadn’t planned to stay in Dubai for long
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A Russian woman has died after plunging to her death while posing for holiday pictures on a cliff top in Dubai.
Julia Khabibulina, 34, from the city of Ufa in the western Russian republic of Bashkortostan, moved to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in October 2019 hoping to develop her photography career.
Russian media reported that Julia plunged 32ft to her death after squatting at the cliff’s edge and losing her balance on Friday 15 May.
The injuries sustained when the 34-year-old hit the water were fatal and her body is now at a UAE hospital waiting to be repatriated.
Pictured: Russian photographer Julia Khabibulina, 34, fell to her death after posing for a photograph on a cliff edge on Friday in Dubai
Pictured: Julia stands in front of the water at Dubai Creek, backed by the city’s skyscrapers, at the end of last year
Pictured: Julia sits on steps in an unspecified Spanish city in this image from March last year
Friends said that Julia – who had a solid photography portfolio with tens of thousands of shots – left Russia for Dubai before the coronavirus crisis began and hadn’t planned on staying very long.
They said she was trapped when borders were shuttered due to the ongoing pandemic.
Russian media reported that she had planned to return home to Ufa but had to delay her flights due to rising ticket prices.
Pictured: Julia sits with her dog at a coffee shop in her hometown of Ufa, in Russia in 2018
Pictured: Julia poses in a photograph in front of the Seville Cathedral in Spain in February last year
The 34-year-old specialised in extreme sports photography, namely kite and windsurfing.
The day before her death, she wrote about how she was enjoying lockdown being partially lifted in Dubai due to Ramadan.
‘Thanks to Ramadan for quitting total quarantine! On the first day of the Holy month, we were allowed to go out without a pass and opened cafes, ‘Julia wrote.
‘People during quarantine were hanging out at hotels. This is the whole of Dubai! If you die, then with music.’