259 have died taking selfies, study finds

The next time you’re standing at the edge of a scenic cliff or on top of a waterfall, take care when you have the urge to snap a quick selfie. It could be the last thing you do.

Nearly 260 people worldwide have died in the past six years while taking selfies, according to a study from researchers associated with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, a group of public medical colleges based in New Delhi. The findings, which analyzed news reports of the 259 selfie-related deaths from October 2011 to November 2017, were published in the July-August edition of the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.

Of the 259 deaths, researchers found the leading cause to be drowning, followed by incidents involving transportation — for example, taking a selfie in front of an oncoming train — and falling from heights. Other causes of selfie-related death involve animals, firearms and electrocution.

More than 85 percent of the victims listed in the study were between the ages of 10 and 30, Agam Bansal, the study’s lead author, told The Washington Post.

There have been several selfie-related deaths so far in 2018. In May, a man in India tried to take a selfie with an injured bear and was mauled to death, the Independent reported.

In the U.S., an 18-yearold hiker from Jerusalem died Sept. 5 after he fell more than 800 feet off a cliff at Yosemite National Park, according to ABC News.

About two weeks later, a 32-year-old California woman met a similar fate at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan when she slipped and fell to her death after stopping at the edge of a 200-foot cliff to snap some selfies, the Detroit Free Press reported.