An Indian Family Drowned After Trying to Take a Selfie by a Dam

With our societies pervasive “do it for the gram” culture, people regularly get themselves into risky situations for the right photo. No one usually expects to get into serious harm, but a recent tragedy shows that it’s better to be extra careful.

On Monday, the worst happened when a newlywed woman and three of her family members drowned while taking a selfie by Pambar Dam in Uthangarai, Southern India, reports state.

Six of the family members, including the newlywed woman and her husband, were holding hands by the water before taking the selfie, the BBC reported.

It is unclear what exactly transpired, but reports say one of them, a 14-year-old boy, slipped and pulled the others with him.

The newlywed woman died but her husband survived and managed to save his sister. The three others, including the 14-year-old boy, drowned as well, according to The Hindu.

S Prabhakar, a senior police official from the Krishnagiri district told CNN that the family “wanted to take a selfie at this spot on the dam and they slipped” then "the water level increased while they were there."

Their bodies were recovered instantly.

India has the highest number of recorded selfie deaths in the world. The government has announced that it would introduce “no-selfie” zones at tourist hotspots. Mumbai and Goa have already done so, after being sites of selfie-related deaths in recent years.

Earlier this year, a man died in Jharkhand, India while taking a selfie on the roof of a stationary train after touching a high tension wire. In September, a woman in Gujarat fell off a cliff while taking a selfie but survived after landing on bushes.

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