Death by selfie

259 have lost lives trying to capture a risky photo

THE desire to capture ‘extreme selfies’ – pictures taken in precarious positions – led to 259 deaths between 2011 and 2017, a global study has revealed.

Among the most common causes of death were drowning, transport accidents and falling.

But death by animals, electrocution, fire and firearms also appeared frequently in reports from around the world.

Researchers advised that ‘noselfie zones’ should be considered at dangerous spots – including cliff edges, mountain tops, tall buildings and lakes, where many of the deaths occurred.

In July this year, 19-year- old Gavin Zimmerman fell to his death while taking selfies on a cliff in New South Wales, Australia. Tomer Frankfurter died in California’s Yosemite National Park in September after falling 250 metres while trying to take a selfie.

Researchers from the US National Library of Medicine analysed news reports of deaths of extreme selfie-takers.

They found that selfie-related deaths are most common in India, Russia, the United States and Pakistan – and 72.5 per cent of those reported are men.

Just 17 of the deaths were recorded in people aged over 40.

The new study also showed that the number of deaths has risen.

There were only three reports of selfie-related deaths in 2011, but that number grew to 98 in 2016 and 93 in 2017.

But the researchers suggest the actual number of selfie deaths could be much higher because they are never named as the cause of death.

‘Certain road accidents while posing for selfies are reported as death due to Road Traffic Accident. Thus, the true magnitude of the problem is underestimated,’ the report said.

The research was published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. The Journal of Travel Medicine also published research into the dangerous selfie phenomenon.

In 2016, Gerald Flaherty at the National University of Ireland Galway and colleagues said as well as simply being taken in dangerous places, ‘travel may give rise to temporary disorientation owing to the effects of jet lag, hot climates and unfamiliar surroundings’.

They added: ‘In circumstances where the background objects of interest are in motion, the selfietaker may feel pressurised to photograph them in haste without considering their own personal safety.’

Dr Flaherty and colleagues said reported animal injuries include bears attacking in South Lake Tahoe, California, and bison in Yellowstone National Park.

Other examples of selfie deaths include a Japanese tourist who died after allegedly slipping down stairs while taking a picture at the Taj Mahal in India.

And in April 2014, a 17-year-old Russian girl fell to her death after taking a selfie atop a railway bridge in Saint Petersburg.