How far they fell isn’t known according to local media, Digital Trends reports. The tourists, all women, were leaning on a gate at the edge of the cliff when it swung open, causing them to tumble backwards and fall off.
Goa police have asked authorities to record a statement from two of the women who were seriously injured in the accident, which occurred on Feb. 22, according to The Hindustan Times.
The incident occurred near cottages in Anjuna Village where the women were staying.
Two of the women landed on their back on a large rock and are in a private hospital, said police inspector Paresh Naik, who added that doctors say the women may be paralyzed for life. The other tourists were discharged after treatment.
“The family members of the two women have refused to file any formal police complaint, but we have requested the sub-divisional magistrate to record their statements,” Naik said.
Weirdly, India has had unusually high number of selfie-related deaths, and Mumbai itself has reported 19 such deaths, Ubergizmo reports.
Some of the fatal selfie-related accidents in 2015 included things like being hit by a train, falling down the steps at the Taj Mahal, and drowning in the ocean. This has spurred the city to declare 16 no-selfie zones in the hopes of reducing the number of deaths. Since 2014, there have been 49 selfie-related deaths worldwide.
But falling from cliffs is only one way people have injured or killed themselves while taking selfies.
Last week, a man in Concrete, Washington, fatally shot himself while taking a selfie with what he thought was an unloaded gun, The Independent reports.
The man’s girlfriend was with him when the gun went off, and she told authorities that she and her boyfriend took several selfies with the gun during the day, and each time, he unloaded the gun before each session, and then replaced the bullets when they were done. However, he apparently left one bullet inside the gun. Police are investigating his death as accidental.
In a highly unusual case last year, a man in Russia was struck by lighting and killed when his selfie stick acted like a lightning rod.
As for the tourists who fell from the cliff, police have declined to release their names.
So perhaps people who frequently take selfies need to remember it’s a dangerous world out there. Especially if you’re not paying attention.
