Deadly Selfies: The Extreme Trend That Leads Many To Death

Taking a photograph was never so dangerous, until hundreds of young people around the world decided to seek the most extreme places to self-portrait.

Extreme sports for years have been questioned due to the danger to which people who practice it are exposed; But a new "harmless" trend is causing terrible deaths.

It's about deadly selfies, photographic self-portraits taken in really extreme situations with the cell phone camera.

Between January 2008 and July 2021, 379 people died worldwide, at least one every 13 days, according to an investigation carried out by the iO Foundation, specialized in Tropical and Traveler Medicine, which has also indicated that during the first months of this year 31 people have died for this reason.

It should be noted that of these 371 deaths, 141 were tourists, while 238 are part of the local population, which shows that those who most carry out these practices are travelers.

There is no doubt that tourists are the ones who die the most looking for that impressive photo, since the areas where the highest number of deaths have been registered for this cause are emblematic places of the world such as: the Tan Mahal and the Doodhpathri valley in India, Glen Canyon in the United States, Niagara Falls on the border between the United States and Canada, Pebha Beach in Brazil, Charco del Burro in Colombia, Nusa Lembogan Island in Indonesia, Mlango Falls in Kenya, the archipelago of Langkawi in Malaysia, and the Rural Mountains in Russia.

Let's meet the 9 most tragic cases of deadly selfies:

1. At the top of the Taj Mahal

A Japanese tourist visited the Taj Mahal, one of the most iconic monuments in the world, located in India in September 2015. The man named Hideto Ueda decided to climb to the top of the steps of the place to take a selfie.

Witnesses reported that the tourist, upon reaching the summit, took many steps backwards, causing him to lose his balance and fall precipitously down the stairs.

Paramedics gave him immediate attention and transferred them to a hospital, however, the man suffered severe head trauma and a heart attack during the fall. He died shortly after arriving at the health center.

2. Cabo da Roca, Portugal

To date, the death of a couple in Cabo da Roca, Portugal in 2014 has been considered the most tragic by selfie.

The woman and the man climbed to the top of the cliff and crossed the security barrier, in order to have an angle at which they could observe the fall towards the sea.

According to the authorities' report, the couple fell back too far and fell off the cliff, in sight of their two children, ages 5 and 6. The bodies were rescued the next day due to dangerous weather and tidal conditions.

3. Russian in free fall

The 17-year-old Andrey Retrovsky, from Vologda, Russia, also ended his days in search of the perfect photograph. He already had a reputation for dangerous selfies.

The teenager wanted to take a photo in which he pretended to be falling from a ninth floor of a building, misfortune came seconds later, when the rope to which he was tied broke, fell sharply and died.

4. Falls into a reservoir in Mexico

In a dam located in Malpaso, in the state of Aguascalientes in Mexico, a 20-year-old girl, who was in the company of 5 friends, wanted to take a selfie around the reservoir, when she suddenly slipped from a height of about 15 meters and fell on the stones, losing his life immediately.

5. Dies electrocuted

In the city of Saint Petersburg, in Russia, the young 17-year-old Xenia Ignatyeva, who practiced skywalking, a type of selfie in fashion in the Eurasian country, which consists of taking photos in extreme places without any kind of permission and without protection some in high places; decided to take a self-portrait on the edge of a bridge in 2014.

Ignatyeva rushed into the void, and tried to avoid the fall by holding onto a cable that ended up electrocuting her.

6. Romanian without energy

Another fatal event was that of Anna Ursu, an 18-year-old Romanian girl, who tried to take a picture of herself on top of a train.

When she managed to reach the ceiling, the young woman had contact with the electric field of the high voltage lines, which caused her body to receive a strong discharge that caused her death.

A friend who was accompanying her flew off due to the impact of the shock.

7. Selfie and firearm

In Mexico City, a 21-year-old man did not look for an extreme place to take a selfie, but a deadly instrument.

The young Óscar Otero Aguilar, under the influence of alcohol, held his cell phone with one hand and a pistol over his head with the other; his friends reported that he inadvertently pulled the trigger of the loaded gun, killing him immediately.

8. Selfie for lightning

In Wales National Park in July 2015, a hiker had an unfortunate end when trying to take a selfie during a rainstorm.

When the man, who was not identified, smiled at the camera, lightning struck the selfie stick and gave him an electric shock.

According to the report, the man did not die immediately, however the injuries caused were fatal, and he died shortly after being found.

9. Challenge: selfie olympics

In a SpongeBob costume, 15-year-old Óscar Reyes climbed to the top of his bathroom door to do the challenge known as the selfie Olympics, which consists of self-photographing in extreme places.

Reyes was found after his death, lying in the bathroom with a pool of blood around his head.

Investigations revealed that the young man lost his balance and hit his head on the toilet.

As you can see, this practice brings with it many risks, so it is important to take care of the way photos are taken, especially in highly dangerous places.