Tourist dies after taking a selfie near a waterfall in Thailand
A French tourist died on Thursday after he slipped and fell from a waterfall in Ko Samui, Thailand, authorities said. The 33-year-old man fell from the Na Mueang 2 waterfall, the same spot from which a Spanish tourist died in July.
"It took multiple hours to reach the body because the site was very slippery and steep," Lieutenant Phuvadol Viriyavarangkul of the island's tourist police told AFP. "His friend said he was trying to take a selfie and then he slipped and fell."
According to Viriyavarangkul, the spot is now roped off and has a sign warning hikers of the danger.
A 2018 study published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care found that some 259 people worldwide have died while taking selfies from 2011 to 2017.
The study found that the three most common selfie-related deaths include drowning, transport-related transports – such as taking a selfie in front of an oncoming train – and falling from heights.
It also notes that "no selfie zones" should be declared across dangerous tourist spots, "especially in places such as water bodies, mountain peaks and over tall buildings" in order to decrease selfie-related deaths.
The highest number of incidents has been reported in India, which accounts for approximately 50% of reported selfie-related deaths. It's followed by Russia and then the United States in third place.