Skip to main content

Selfie fail: Five tourists tumble off a cliff in self-portrait screw-up

tourists fall off cliff in selfie attempt stick
Nito500/123RF
Here’s a tip for when you snap your next selfie: look behind you.

Sure, if you’re at home or in a park, you probably don’t need to worry too much about your surroundings. However, if you’re at the top of a cliff, it’s probably wise to check things like how close you are to the edge.

Huddling together to grab a group shot recently, five buddies on vacation in the Indian state of Goa tumbled off the top of a cliff, with two of the friends sustaining serious injuries, local media reported.

It’s not known how far the group fell, but the report’s use of the word “cliff” suggests the drop was somewhat considerable. The friends were apparently leaning on a gate at the cliff edge when it gave way, causing them to topple back and fall off.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised that the incident took place in India. A report at the start of the year revealed the selfie-snapping craze has, by way of clumsy accidents, claimed more lives in the country than in any other nation around the world.

With India the second most populous country in the world, maybe the statistic isn’t particularly remarkable, though bear in mind that at the current time only around 25 percent of its people own a smartphone. Heck, imagine the selfie-related carnage if smartphone penetration was at the U.S. rate of 80 percent. It really doesn’t bear thinking about.

Last month, concern over death-by-selfie incidents led officials in the Indian city of Mumbai to impose 16 no-selfie zones at locations around the city deemed too dangerous for self-portrait photography.

The action followed a string of fatal accidents across the country in 2015 that included everything from being hit by a train to falling down steps at the Taj Mahal to drowning in the sea. Yes, all while attempting to take a selfie.

Reports suggest there were 27 selfie-related deaths around the world last year, more than half occurring in India.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Selfie stick fail: Selfie-shooting driver gets canoe through windshield
selfie shooting driver gets canoe through windshield shooter

Out with some buddies hunting alligators in Florida recently, Alex Lopatnyuk thought it'd be really cool to get some footage of his two-car convoy speeding along some mud tracks during their drive.

Using a GoPro on a selfie stick, Alex stuck it out of the window of his Jeep and started filming. So far, so good.

Read more
Take selfie, go to jail: Tourist arrested after taking selfie on top of Brooklyn Bridge
take selfie go to jail tourist arrested after taking on top of brooklyn bridge karny

Doing it for the 'gram can have it's consequences.

In late June, 21 year old Tennessee tourist David Karnauch used his selfie stick to take a photograph of himself on top of the Brooklyn Bridge. Less than two months later, Karnauch was arrested in Chattanooga and charged with reckless endangerment. As of Monday, Karnauch was being held in the Hamilton County Jail without bond until officials were able to transport him to New York City, according to WRCB-TV, NBC's Chattanooga affiliate.

Read more
Next up from Samsung? Possibly a drone that shoots selfies
samsung may be developing a drone geared toward selfie shooters

Samsung may be pushing out fewer smartphones this year in a strategic effort to cut costs and boost profits, but a report Monday suggests it's been splashing some of its savings on drone development with a view to creating an autonomous quadcopter designed primarily for snapping selfies.

The news comes via SamMobile, whose unnamed source claims the initiative is dubbed Project Selfie Camera Drone, perhaps not the best name if secrecy is an important part of the venture.

Read more