SANTIAGO (AFP) - A Belgian woman was in serious condition with burns over much of her body on Friday (Oct 9)after falling into a geyser in northern Chile, local officials said.

The unidentified woman, who was with her husband, backed into the geyser on Thursday while trying to take a picture, local police said.

"She has extreme burns... over 80 per cent of her body and her life is at risk," said Darwin Acuna, a doctor at a Santiago hospital where the woman was taken for treatment.

The incident occurred in the northern region of Antofagasta, where thousands of tourists each year visit the Tatio geyser field in San Pedro de Atacama.

Geysers are hot springs that periodically vent jets of hot water or steam.