Hundreds have died trying to capture perfect selfie

Hundreds of people have drowned or fallen to their deaths trying to capture the '˜perfect' selfie, a global study has revealed.
A Wigan teen risked his life taking this selfie on tower at former Pagefield MillA Wigan teen risked his life taking this selfie on tower at former Pagefield Mill
A Wigan teen risked his life taking this selfie on tower at former Pagefield Mill

Research conducted by the US National Library of Medicine has reported 259 deaths in 137 selfie-related incidents in a six-year period.

A recommendation has been made to introduce “no selfie zones” at popular tourist spots.

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According to the findings, drowning, transport, and fall form the “topmost reasons” for deaths caused by selfies.

Researchers wrote: “No selfie zones” should be declared across tourist areas, especially places such as water bodies, mountain peaks, and over tall buildings to decrease the incidence of selfie-related deaths.”

The report also revealed that men are three times more likely to die from risky behaviour relating to selfies than women, with 72.5 per cent of fatal selfies being taken by males and the remainder by females.

Back in June, the Wigan Post published images of a 17-year-old boy dangling from the top of the chimney at the former Pagefield Mill.

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His film shows the teen breaking into the former mill before walking across exposed beams tens of feet from the floor, then climbing to the top of the tower.

Once at the top, he filmed himself climbing through the railing and hanging with just one hand and foot off the edge of the brickwork using the other hand to hold a selfie stick, with the 100ft drop directly below him.

The report added: “Clicking selfies and sharing them on social media has become a mode of self-expression. People sometimes portray themselves amidst dangerous settings so as to gain attention on social media sites.”

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