SOUTH
The idyllic Vizhinjam Beach, just an hour drive from Kerala capital, with beautiful rock formations jutting into the frothing sea, is becoming the most dangerous selfie-death destination in the country.
With two persons swept away by the sea on Sunday while they were trying to take a selfie, the number of persons went missing in selfie-accidents reported from this destination has gone up to five in a matter of five months.
Coastal police and the Coast Guard are searching for two labourers from West Bengal, who went missing at Vizhinjam Beach on Sunday. The missing persons are identified as Sukumar Roy and Pratheep Roy.
“The boy (Sukumar Roy) was trying to take a selfie from a rock formation in the beach when a huge tide washed him off,” said Prasenjith Roy, his friend who witnessed the accident. “Two of his friends put themselves in danger by trying to save the boy. I could save one, but the other went down,” he said.
After adventure-selfie enthusiasts started flocking to the beach near Azhimala temple at Vizhinjam, situated very close to Kovalam, the popular beach destination situated 20 km from Thiruvananthapuram; the authorities erected a board warning danger. But people often put them in trouble by ignoring the advice to snap a selfie.
“It is very unfortunate that people ignore the warning signs at the destination,” said Dr K G Thara, the chairperson of Kerala State Disaster Management Authority . “Selfie-deaths are disturbingly on the rise in the country. As per a report, 54 selfie-deaths were reported in India in 2014-16, the highest in the world.”
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Perhaps for the first time in the world, the Indian Tourism Ministry issued a circular directing all the states to mark dangerous spots as no-selfie zones to avoid accidents, she said. The ministry calculated that 50 persons lost lives while attempting adventurous selfies in two years in the country. A San Francisco-based NGO found that half of the selfie-deaths takes place in India.
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“Imparting awareness is one way (to reduce selfie deaths),” says Thara. “And just ignore adventurous selfies. Most of such selfie enthusiasts who risk their lives for a few 'likes,' would stop it if you ignored them,” she felt.