Mumbai police identify 'no selfie zones' after drowning

January 13, 2016 | 16:36

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The spots include the major tourist attractions of Girgaum Chowpatty beach and Marine Drive promenade as well as the site where the 18-year-old girl slipped last week.

Young Indians take 'selfies' on Marine Drive promenade in Mumbai. (Photo: AFP/Indranil Mukherjee/Files)

MUMBAI: Mumbai police said on Tuesday (Jan 12) they have identified 16 dangerous selfie spots across the Indian city after a man drowned trying to save a girl who fell into the sea while taking a photo of herself.

The spots include the major tourist attractions of Girgaum Chowpatty beach and Marine Drive promenade as well as the site where the 18-year-old girl slipped last week, deputy commissioner Dhananjay Kulkarni told AFP.

"After the unfortunate incident we have decided to identify 16 spots where taking selfies can be dangerous but we may add more," he said. "We have written to the municipal corporation to put some warning signs up at such points. We also want them to deploy some lifeguards also," Kulkarni added.

The girl and two friends fell off rocks into the Arabian Sea near Bandra Bandstand in the north of India's financial capital while clicking selfies on Saturday.

A passerby, 37-year-old Ramesh Walanju, jumped in and helped save the two friends but was washed away by the choppy waters and his body was found floating in a nearby creek on Monday. The girl is still missing.

Police officers patrolling the selected areas have been briefed to warn people against taking selfies, the deputy commissioner said.

Last month a Pakistani man died in Rawalpindi after being hit by a fast-moving train as he tried to take a selfie with it while standing on the track.

In May last year a Russian woman accidentally shot herself in the head with a pistol while posing for a selfie with the weapon.

And US investigators in February said a pilot's repeated snapping of selfie photos caused a small plane to crash, killing both people on board.

AFP

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