Instagram tourists banned from Pedra do Surfista - surfboard rock - in Brazil for fear it may snap off
A famous cliffside beauty spot overlooking a beach has been closed to visitors after hordes of social media users put it at risk of falling into the sea.
The board-shaped 'Surfers' Rock' jutting out over Lagoinha do Leste beach in Morro da Coroa, Brazil, has been the setting for hundreds of thousands of pictures.
Many Instagram snaps show tourists sitting on the edge of the naturally-formed surfboard-shaped rock dangling their legs over the void.
But now safety officials say it has become so degraded by the sheer number of selfie-seeking visitors it is no longer safe.
Signs closing the path to the rock have been put up banning all access to the to site and warning tourists it is no longer safe to stand on.
A new geological survey has revealed that the rock is in danger of breaking off and falling down to the beach below, local media reported on January 6.
The signs, put up by the Municipal Environmental Foundation of Florianopolis warn: "Closed due to the precarious conditions, the possibility of rockfalls and erosion."
Story: NewsX