Death by Selfie

In today’s article, I am covering the rise of adrenaline junkies who died in their quest to seek attention, or to put it bluntly, died for a selfie.

In recent years I’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of people climbing highrises, cranes, bridges, etc to take selfies and videos of themselves to post online for their fans and followers.

Most people would argue with me and refer to the people I’ve documented below as kids trying to enjoy themselves.

However, climbing a skyscraper, crane, or highrise block of flats without training or a safety backup to shoot a selfie is far from fun.

If anything it shows a lack of self-confidence and security in themselves. They try to gain their self-esteem through the approval of others. Unfortunately, it never works and it is better to build self-esteem from inside yourself, not outside.

Now, for the benefit of this article its worth noting that there are many professional ‘adrenaline junkies’ out there such as ‘professional’ rock climber Alex Honnold, base jumper Tim Howell and trapeze artist Lillian Leitzel who have made a name for themselves regarding their daring stunts.

However, these adrenaline junkies trained and worked hard in controlled environments to get to where they are today. Furthermore, their aim in life was not to post selfies to seek approval from others or to gain popularity.

The youngsters I’ve documented below did not train hard, had no form of safety backups, and died in their pursuit for clicks, shares and followers. Furthermore, experts believe the majority of young adults who died in their pursuit of online fame could have been suffering from a mental illness.

Remi Lucidi

Photographer Remi Lucidi, 30, known as Remi Enigma online, was an extreme daredevil who climbed some of the world’s largest skyscrapers in his quest for social media fame.

Unfortunately, on 27 July 2023, Remi plunged to his death from the 68th floor of the Tregunter Tower complex in Hong Kong.

According to reports from the South China Morning Post (SCMP), he became stranded outside a penthouse on the top floor and attempted to alert a maid inside by knocking on a window. However, he lost his balance during the attempt and fell to his death.

Reportedly, the CCTV footage showed Lucidi entering the 49th floor and then taking the stairs to the building’s summit.

A hatch leading to the roof was discovered open, but the man was nowhere to be located. He was last seen at 7.38 pm, tapping on the window of the complex’s penthouse – prompting a maid to phone the police.

At the scene, authorities discovered Lucidi’s camera, which had films of his high-rise acts. The official cause of his death has not been reported by the police yet.

Some of his Instagram posts show him standing on top of skyscrapers and hanging from cranes posing for selfies.

Wu Yongning

Wu Yongning was a 26-year-old daredevil from China, who is believed to have made a living from creating viral videos through undertaking hair-raising stunts and sharing them with his online following.

Yongning, an internet star known as ‘China’s first rooftopper,’ was doing pull-ups at the top of the Huayuan International Centre in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, in November 2017 when he lost his grip and fell.

Harrowing footage filmed on the 8th of November captured the moment he let go of the side of the building, plunging 45ft onto a terrace below where his body was later found by a window cleaner.

The former movie stuntman had one million followers on social media and was known for scaling skyscrapers without any safety equipment in more than 300 videos.  

He had held 217 live-streaming sessions and was paid around 55,000 yuan (£6,200) for making the videos. Viewers paid him with virtual currency if they liked the clips.

Local reports previously said Wu was seeking to make money for his poverty-stricken family and pay for his mother’s medical bills. 

Following the tragic incident, Wu’s mother sued Huajiao for negligence, saying the company lacked proper regulations to review such highly dangerous videos before allowing users to publish them, according to the Paper. 

The parent surnamed He, sought compensation of 60,000 yuan (£6,800) and an apology from the live-streaming company.

The mother accused the firm of failing to warn Wu of the risks of his dangerous stunts and continued to allow the publication of his videos. Huajiao denied responsibility.

The Beijing Internet Court yesterday found that the live broadcast app Huajiao had ‘failed to ensure the safety and security’ of Wu, Chinese media reported. 

Xenia Ignatyeva

Xenia Ignatyeva, 17, was a keen amateur photographer and her big passion had been taking pictures of herself with a camera she bought at the end of 2013 after a summer job.

Ignatyeva plunged 30 feet to her death as she climbed onto a railway bridge – to take a selfie. She was a month short of her 18th birthday when she fell, and was hit by 1,500 volts as she was electrocuted when she tried to grab live wires.

Grieving grandmother Olga said: “The police said she wanted to take a selfie of herself at night, to give it the most dramatic effect and with the railway line as a backdrop.

“She was taking it herself so she went up there on her own, a girlfriend was waiting below.”

But somehow the teenager lost her balance and toppled off the side of the bridge.

As she fell, she desperately tried to grab the high-voltage cable and electrocuted herself before her body dropped onto the concrete below.

Police, alerted by an anonymous call saying children had been playing on the bridge, fear Xenia may still have been alive for a short while after she hit the ground.

Pal Oksana Zhankova, also 17, who had waited below, is said to have been paralysed by shock.

She rushed to her friend’s side and was found crouched beside her body when emergency services arrived.

Train tracks around the world have become a magnet for youngsters looking for exciting selfies.

Death by selfie is on the rise

• January 18, 2016, two youngsters drowned in a river at Omkareshwar, about 270 km from Bhopal. Kamal (25) had slipped into the river while trying to take a selfie. Amit (20) jumped into the river to save his cousin but both were swept away by the strong currents of the river.
• A 19-year-old girl fell from the top of a 20-storey apartment building in Manila, Philippines while taking a selfie.
• In December 2015, Jamshaid Khan, 22, tried to take a photograph on his phone while standing on the tracks in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. He was hit by a fast-moving train when he tried to take a selfie with it behind him.
• A Polish couple living in Portugal with their two young children stumbled off a cliff edge while trying to take a selfie in 2014.
• A 32-year-old man died after being gored by a bull in a Spanish town while taking a selfie on his mobile phone.
• A California man picked up a 4-foot rattlesnake and tried to take a selfie with the killer reptile. He had the rattler around his neck when it struck his hand.
• in 2022, Melike Gun Kanavuzlar, 15, died after she slipped and fell while taking a selfie from a four-story building.
• On the 30th of April 2022, a 31-year-old Kazakhstani fell from a 115-foot-high cliff trying to take a selfie with a waterfall in Duden Park, Antalya, to celebrate the lifting of the COVID-19 lockdown.
• On the 10th of July 2021, 32-year-old influencer Sofia Cheung died after slipping and falling 5 meters in the Ha Pak Lai nature park, while she was taking a selfie with friends at the edge of a waterfall. Her Instagram account featured photos of her outdoor adventures, including scaling cliffs and mountaintops.
• 9th April 2024, a 39-year-old woman climbed over a barrier at a viewing point in Abkhazia to take a selfie, stumbled and fell more than 170 feet to her death.
• 17th April 2024, two male students aged 22 and 26 were taking selfies near Blair Atholl, Scotland, but slipped and were swept away by the river at Linn of Tummel.
• June 4th 2024, while taking a selfie too close to the tracks, a woman was struck and killed by the newly-reactivated Canadian Pacific 2816 Empress steam locomotive, which was passing through the town of Nopala in Hidalgo, Mexico.

Conclusion

In recent years hundreds have died while trying to capture an impressive selfie and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight, especially not while social media platforms openly allow such people to post their daredevil antics.

There are various reasons behind risk-taking selfies including narcissistic tendencies and the need for self-identification and expression.

In contrast, other risk takers simply do it for attention seeking, clicks, shares, and social media recognition.

One study (Bansal et al., 2018) documented 259 selfie-related deaths between October 2011 and November 2017.

The mean age of those who died was around 23 years. Males made up a majority—around three-quarters—of the selfie-victims. The age groups of 10-19 and 20-29 years showed particularly high casualties and incidents.

A later study (Kang-Auger et al., 2023) showed that rates of selfie deaths steadily increased up until COVID-19 struck.

Then, during the pandemic, the number of selfie deaths decreased from around four per month to one per month. Still, from March 2014 to April 2021, 332 perished while striving for that perfect shot. In this later research, instead of males comprising the majority of selfie deaths, females did instead.

Before the pandemic, drownings were the number one cause of death while clicking selfies. During COVID-19 and the lockdowns, falls (such as from waterfalls, cliffs, bridges, etc.) shifted into the first place.

Furthermore, Bansal et al. (2018) highlighted that mortalities also occur via animals, electrocutions, fires, firearms, transport, and other means.

A study by Lamba and colleagues (2016) reviewed potential explanations behind risky selfies, which their paper termed “killfies.” Some of the reasons may include the following:

• Desire for self-expression
• Narcissistic tendencies
• Need for self-identification and expression
• Drive to increase social currency via likes, shares, and comments

In addition, some people are killing themselves via their eating disorders. And social media, which is a way of life now, often fuels the eating disorder.

It may not be a traditional risk like dangling their feet off a skyscraper and snapping a shot, but many in our society are literally and figuratively killing themselves to nail that perfect picture.

If you have been affected by any of the news in this article, please don’t shy away, there is always someone a phone call away who can offer advice or practical help.

Please contact your local police force or the Samaritans here.