WASHINGTON — It was meant to be a weekend of fun for two families who were celebrating recent nuptials, when tragedy struck. As Indian English-language daily The Hindu reports, the group of 6 stood in the waters of the Pambar dam to try and snap a group selfie when one of them slipped, dragging four others in too.
One of the others managed to avoid falling and was able to save another member of the group. The four that fell in the water drowned. Their bodies were later recovered by authorities.
The accident happened in southern India's Tamil Nadu state in Uthangarai.
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India leads the world in selfie-related deaths according to a study in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. The study looked at deaths that were a result of trying to take selfies, from October of 2011 to November of 2017. Researchers used keyword searches like "selfie mortality," "self photography deaths" and "selfie accidents" and found that the highest number of selfie deaths were reported in India, with Russia coming in second place. The United States and Pakistan came in next on the list.
Drowning deaths and falls from high heights were found to be the main cause of deaths as a result of selfies.
The study suggests there should be "no selfie zones" created for tourists areas that are near bodies of water, mountain peaks and on tall buildings.
