06 January,2019 12:50 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
On 4 January 2019, an Indian student lost his life after falling off a cliff in Ireland while taking a selfie. The unidentified Indian national believed to be around 20 years old, was studying in a university in Dublin. The student lost his balance while taking the photograph at a popular tourist attraction the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare. The tragedy happened south of the main viewing area near the visitor centre. There were hundreds of people enjoying the scenery and cliff walk at the time, the Irish Mirror reported.
Emergency services, including a search helicopter, were mobilised as soon as the alarm was raised. A winchman from the helicopter recovered the man from the sea. The victim was flown to nearby Doolin where he was formally pronounced dead.
While clicking selfies isn't normally a dangerous activity, the mania for unusual and unique angles to get the 'perfect picture' have proved fatal in some instances. From rescuers trying to save 'selfie girl' drowning to falling from Khandala valley and taking a selfie with father's revolver are few examples of the rapidly rising number of selfie fatalities across the globe. Here are some instances of selfie deaths reported.
Couple dies after falling 800 feet in California's Yosemite National Park:
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In a tragic incident, an Indian couple died after they fell 800 feet in an area with steep terrain in California's Yosemite National Park. The couple identified as, Vishnu Viswanath, 29, and Meenakshi Moorthy, 30, fell to their deaths from Taft Point in Yosemite National Park. The two were identified as a married couple from India living in the United States.
4 drown while taking a selfie at Nagao beach:
In a tragic incident on July 23, 2017, four youth drowned in the sea at Nagoa Beach in Diu. Reportedly, the victims were sitting on top of a rock and trying to click a selfie when they were swept away by the rising waters during a high tide in the Arabian sea. The entire incident was caught on camera.
Five rescuers drown while 'selfie girl' lives on:
Selfie craze claimed five more lives, but even sad was the fact that the lives lost were of five people who tried to rescue the person who fell into a reservoir while clicking a selfie on her mobile phone. Five engineering students, including two girls, drowned in a reservoir in Warangal district of Telangana on September 17, 2016. The deceased were all third-year engineering students in computer science at Warangal's Vagdevi Engineering College. They had jumped into the water to rescue Ramya Pratyusha, who accidentally fell in the lake while taking a selfie. While Pratyusha was saved, the others drowned. Representational Picture
Tragic! 15-year-old boy shoots himself while taking a selfie:
15-year-old Ramandeep Singh died at a Ludhiana hospital after sustaining a bullet injury to his head while taking a selfie with his father's revolver on April 30, 2016. The teenager had sustained a bullet injury while taking a selfie with his mobile phone with a .32 bore revolver pointed to his head. The gun went off accidentally. With the bullet lodged in his head, the critically injured teen was shifted to a hospital in Ludhiana. The revolver belonged to Ramandeep's father Gurkirpal Singh, a property dealer. Representational Picture
Selfie stunt proves fatal as two HSC students drown in Nashik dam:
HSC students from Pune became the victims of selfie fever as they drowned at a dam in Nashik on February 15, 2016. The duo was part of a group of 10 childhood friends, who had gone on a picnic to enjoy themselves before their HSC exams, which were set to begin in a few days. The incident took place around 2.30 pm at Waldevi dam, which is around 20 kilometres from Nashik, and the body of the duo was fished out after three hours by the police, with the help of local residents.
Selfie stunt on train roof kills 14-year-old boy:
14-year-old Sahil Chandrakant Eshwarkar sustained 80 per cent burns when he accidentally touched an overhead cable while trying to click a selfie on a train parked at car shed near Nahur station in November 2015. The teenager from Kanjurmarg succumbed to the burn injuries he sustained due to electrocution. According to the Kurla GRP officials, Sahil, a Std IX student of St Xavier's High School, Kanjurmarg, had gone to play football with his friends. The police officer said that Sahil and his friends were clicking selfies on the train when the boy was electrocuted after accidentally touching an overhead cable. He was thrown off the train.
Teenager gets a 25,000-volt shock in an attempt to take a selfie:
On January 6, 2015. 16-year-old Ganesh Kumkumawati sustained 90 per cent burns after he accidentally touched a 25,000-volt overhead wire at the Jogeshwari railway yard. Ganesh was trying to click a rooftop selfie when he got electrocuted. Ganesh was reportedly taking a photograph of himself atop the compartment of a standing train when he accidentally touched the overhead wire, which had 25,000 volts of current coursing through it. The boy sustained 90% burn injuries and was battling for his life.
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