The selfie craze has hit the nation with full force yet again, this time killing 2 young boys in the process. Recently, the tabloids have reported selfie deaths of 16-year old Yash and 14-year old Shubham in Delhi. The boys were crushed to death by a speeding train near Anand Vihar station while taking selfies with their friends.
Sadly, the news is not surprising anymore. On an average, about one million users take a selfie every day. This reflects that selfie-obsession is spreading like a forest fire everywhere. Even the elderly are not immune to selfie tragedies. The pursuit of clicking the ‘perfect photograph’ sometimes turn fatal when people end up losing their lives while clicking deadly selfies near rivers, railway tracks and on roads.
Compared to the US, UK and Pakistan, India has experienced more selfie-related deaths than other countries around the world in last two years. A study conducted by students from Indraprastha Institute of Information (Delhi) and Carnegie Mellon University (Pennsylvania) reveals shocking facts regarding selfie craze in India.
The report titled ‘Me, Myself and My Killer Selfie’ reveals that–
- About 127 selfie deaths were reported from March 2014 until 2016. Out of these, around 76 deaths occurred in India.
- Every year, many Indians are hit by the train, they tip over a picnic boat, fall down the cliff or rivers and get crumbled into deep holes and ravines while clicking ‘adventurous selfies’.
- Unlike what the world think, the men are more prone to selfie fevers.
- Many Indians believe that clicking pictures with friends near trains denotes a never-ending sign of friendship. The feeling of brotherhood ends up killing them at the end.
- Water-related selfie deaths are more common in India.
Having said this, here’s a list of most tragic selfie deaths occurring in India.
The 5 most Tragic Selfie Deaths in Last 2 years
- August 2014: A 14-year old boy from Kerala was electrocuted completely while clicking a selfie on top of a stationary train.
- January 2015: 3 students aged 20 to 22 years died while clicking a daredevil selfie near railway tracks between Mathura and Kosikala.
- November 2015: 2 engineering students in Gujarat drowned inside the Narmada Canal when clicking selfies near the dam wall.
- January 2016: A 20-year old girl drowned near Bandra-Worli Sea link. She was swept away by a high tide when she was clicking a picture on the rocks.
- April 5: A 16-year old boy was climbing the rock fountain in Hyderabad. He slipped from the rocks and hit hard on his head when clicking a selfie uphill.
So these were some unfortunate selfie deaths that could’ve been avoided had the photographers taken necessary precautions. We hope that incidents like these will knock some sense into self-obsessed photographers and they’ll observe the necessary safety measures while clicking pictures the next time.
