This is how many people have died taking selfies
From people who have taken one step too many backwards on a cliff edge to those who have been mauled to death by bears – taking selfies is a risky business.
The modern obsession with capturing an Instagram-friendly shot in any situation, no matter how dangerous, has cost more than 250 lives in the past six years, a new study has revealed.
According to a recently published journal from researchers in India, more than 85 per cent of victims are aged between 10 and 30.
Researchers analysed 259 selfie deaths from 2011 to 2017 and found most selfie-takers died from drowning – a cause of death which accounted for 70 lives.
A notable case last year saw an Indian student drown while his oblivious friends took a selfie.
Trains and other forms of transport followed closely with 51 deaths, while fire and falling from heights responsible for 48 deaths each.
In June, two Australians died from falling from a cliff in Portugal while taking a selfie.
But others have been killed by electrocution and even by animals.
“The selfie deaths have become a major public health problem,” researcher Agam Bansal said.
“If you’re just standing, simply taking it with a celebrity or something, that’s not harmful. But if that selfie is accompanied with risky behavior then that’s what makes the selfies dangerous.
He revealed his biggest concern is the majority of these deaths were preventable.
“Taking a toll on these many numbers just because you want a perfect selfie because you want a lot of likes, shares on Facebook, Twitter or other social media, I don’t think this is worth compromising a life for such a thing,” he said.
Earlier this month, a mother in the UK was spotted taking a selfie while her baby sat in a pram just metres from a giant wave.
