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Selfies:a blessing or a curse?

The next time you find yourself at the edge of a cliff or by a waterfall, be careful before taking a quick selfie. It could be the last thing you do. Globally, more than 250 people have died taking selfies in the past six years, according to a new study. The study analyzed news reports of 259 selfie-related deaths from October 2011 to November 2017. Drowning, transportation, and falls are the leading reasons for deaths caused by selfies. Also, reasons for deaths from selfie were classified as risky behavior or non-risky behavior. Risky behavior resulted in more deaths and incidents from selfies than non-risky behavior. The number of deaths in women is less due to risky behavior than non-risk behavior, while it is about three times more in men.

While the survey found that India has the highest number of deaths among all countries, there are also multiple reports of fatal selfie incidents coming from Russia, the United States and Pakistan. The study reports 259 deaths from selfie deaths in 137 incidents.