Man dies after falling from ‘Mission Impossible’ cliff in Norway

(CNN) — A man has died after falling from a 1,981 foot (604-meter-high) cliff in Norway that featured in a “Mission Impossible” film.

Preikestolen, known in English as “Pulpit Rock” is a cliff in southwestern Norway overlooking the Lysefjord. It is one of Norway’s most famous mountain hikes and sees more than 300,000 visitors a year, according to the country’s official tourism website.

Nina Thommesen, police attorney for the Sør-Vest politidistrikt, confirmed that a man in his 40s had died on Monday. She said the man was traveling alone and was found with his phone and ID. He has not yet been officially identified, but the police say they are “reasonably certain” of his identity.

“The police are investigating the case as a fall accident,” Thommesen told CNN. “We have no assumptions that anything criminal has happened.”

Two witnesses were questioned on Monday, including one who saw the incident happen. He explained that the man slipped and fell.

Although it is “the most iconic natural landmark in Norway,” according to the non-profit which manages the site, Preikestolen grew in fame when it was featured in the sixth “Mission Impossible” film, starring Tom Cruise.

It was used as a filming location – doubling for Kashmir – in “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” for an action sequence at the end of the 2018 film, where the film’s two central characters fall off the cliff.

For the premiere of the film, 2,000 people hiked 4 kilometres (2.4 miles) to the cliff to see it projected by lasers at night. Cruise praised the premiere, calling it “the most impossible screening” of the film.

The film was expected to have a positive impact on the area and local tourism, according to the Preikestolen non-profit, who work to preserve the area and keep it safe for visitors.

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