As the current craze for dangerous selfies is rising, so is the attendant risk of death. Police on Thursday said five tourists sustained injuries, two of them severely, when they fell off a cliff while clicking selfies at Anjuna Village in Goa. Also a 43-year-old man in the US shot himself accidentally while taking a selfie with a gun in hand on Wednesday.
The process of how they are clicked has been criticised of late as selfie enthusiasts often risk their lives while trying to get the perfect self photograph.
It has been reported that more people die while attempting to take selfies than in shark attacks. At least 27 people reportedly died in “selfie-related” incidents around the world last year.
In the incident that was reported from Goa on Thursday, five people fell off the cliff on February 22 when the gate of the railing against which they were leaning gave way.
The Goa Police has asked a Sub-Divisional Magistrate to record the statement of two of the women who were seriously injured in the incident and admitted to hospital. The incident occurred near the hillside cottages where the tourists were staying.
“Two women fell on their back on a stone and are currently admitted in a private hospital. The doctors have said that they might be paralysed for life,” police inspector Paresh Naik told PTI on Thursday. The three others were discharged after primary treatment, he added.
In Washington, the man from Concrete, who has not been named, accidentally shot himself in the face with what he thought was an unloaded gun.
The man and his girlfriend were at home taking photos of themselves with the gun when the incident occurred, Skagit County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Patrol Chad Clark was quoted as saying by the Skagit Valley Herald.
The girlfriend reported that the pair had done this several times during the day, with the man apparently removing the bullets and then reloading the gun multiple times.
After the last time, however, a bullet apparently remained in the gun, Clark said.
The death is being investigated as accidental, Clark said.
The Washington man is not the first to accidentally shoot himself while taking a selfie, or even the first to die doing so.
last year, a 19-year-old from Houston died while taking pictures of himself with a gun and posting them on Instagram. He too thought the gun was unloaded when he held it to his head for a photo.
In Maharashtra, Mumbai Police has identified 15 places where taking selfies “can be dangerous”. The places include the iconic sea-facing Marine Drive promenade and the popular Girgaum Chowpatty beach, both major tourist attractions. The decision was taken after an 18-year-old girl drowned in the sea while taking a selfie last week. last year, authorities imposed a “no selfie zone” at a Hindu festival due to fears they could cause stampedes.
In Russia, the Ministry of the Interior released a “Selfie Safety Guide” in 2015 that warned selfie enthusiasts about some common dangerous behaviour after a daring selfie had led to several injuries and deaths.
A 2015 study showed that 20% of young Britons had taken selfies while driving a car. The Italian chief of state police expressed concern over the same phenomenon in Italy on the occasion of the launch of a short film with the title “Selfie”. (With inputs from PTI)
Cartoon courtesy- Nirjhar Som