Over 250 people worldwide died taking selfies: Study

​Hyderabad: The next time you're standing at the edge of a scenic cliff or on top of a waterfall, take care when you have the urge to snap a quick selfie. It could very well be the last thing you do.

More than 250 people worldwide have died while taking selfies in the last six years, according to a new study from researchers associated with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The findings, which analysed news reports of the 259 selfie-related deaths from October 2011 to November 2017, were published in the July-August edition of the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. 

Of the 259 deaths, researchers found the leading cause to be drowning, followed by incidents involving transportation - for example, taking a selfie in front of an oncoming train - and falling from heights. Other causes of selfie-related death include animals, firearms and electrocution.

"The selfie deaths have become a major public health problem," Agam Bansal, the study's lead author, told The Washington Post. 

Though the study found India to have the highest number of deaths of all countries, numerous reports of fatal selfie incidents have also come from Russia, the United States and Pakistan. Bansal noted that while the simple act of taking a selfie isn't deadly, the hazard arises when people take risks while trying to get that perfect shot.

"If you're just standing, simply taking it with a celebrity or something, that's not harmful," he said. "But if that selfie is accompanied with risky behaviour then that's what makes the selfies dangerous."

"What worries me the most is that it is a preventable cause of death," Bansal said. "Taking a toll on these many numbers just because you want a perfect selfie because you want a lot of likes, shares on Facebook, Twitter or other social media, I don't think this is worth compromising a life for such a thing."

Bansal added he was also concerned about how many of the selfie-related fatalities involved young people. More than 85 percent of the victims were between the ages of 10 and 30, Bansal said. "They form the future of a nation," he said. "They haven't even realized what their goals are. They aren't even sure what they want to do. They're just beginners in their lives."

While the number of deaths reported in the study may seem high, Bansal said there could be many more cases that just haven't been documented due to issues with reporting. In 2018 alone, there have already been several selfie-related deaths. In May, a man in India tried to take a selfie with an injured bear and was mauled to death, the Independent reported.