Sometimes we must ask ourselves how important getting that selfie really is. 
Two students drowned on Saturday(3.11.2018) evening in River Yala in Bondo, Siaya County, while taking selfies.
Derrick Auka, a second year Community Health student at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology and Shallete Atieno of Ratiya Techincal Bondo, were taking selfies during a nature walk on the riverbank when death struck.
According to reports, Atieno and Auka were taking selfies while standing on a stone on the riverbank when she slid and fell into the water. Auka then dove in to rescue her but he too was overwhelmed and eventually drowned.
In October 2018, the BBC reported of a 2018 global study that revealed that the quest for extreme selfies killed 259 people between 2011 and 2017.
Researchers at the US National Library of Medicine recommend that ‘no selfie zones’ should be introduced at dangerous spots to reduce deaths. These would include the tops of mountains, tall buildings, and lakes, where many of the deaths occurred. Drowning, transport accidents and falling were found to be the most common cause of death.
Here are a few of the many instances of deadly selfies from around the world.
1.On top of a bridge
A 17-year-old Russian girl, Xenia Ignatyeva climbed on a 28 feet bridge and took a selfie. Seconds after, she lost her balance, fell on a cable which tragically electrocuted her.
2.Gun selfie
Oscar Aguilar killed himself in July of 2014 after he tried to take a selfie with a gun. He was ready to press the selfie button when he accidentally shot himself in the head.
3.Drowning in Mexico
Karen Hernández was only 13 years old when she died after trying to make a selfie. She wanted to take a picture on the banks of the El Tunal river in Durango, Mexico, but unfortunately, she fell and drowned.
4.On top of a train
A 21-years-old man died in March 2014 in Spain after taking a selfie on top of a train. He climbed to the top of a moving train and died after electrocution.
5.Struck by lightning
In July 2015, an unnamed English hiker was struck by lightning while trekking through the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales. The fatal bolt was suspected to have hit the extended metal rod of a selfie stick and electrocuted the young man.
6.Posing with a live grenade
Two Russian soldiers in the Urals region west of Siberia were posing for a selfie with a live grenade. The handheld explosive detonated unexpectedly and, going off in their faces. Only the phone with the photo survived.
7.Fall at the Taj Mahal
A 66-year-old Japanese tourist lost his balance and fell backward to his death down the steps of the Taj Mahal in September 2015.
8.Over a cliff
A Polish couple’s two young children watched as their parents climbed over the safety barrier and fell to their deaths while taking a selfie on a cliff in Cabo da Roca, Portugal. Once they took a step backward to angle their shot, they tumbled off of the edge and into the perilous Atlantic Ocean below.
9.Bull
A 32-year-old man was gored to death by a steer during 2014 annual running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. When David Gonzalez Lopez left the audience-protected area to capture a selfie in front of two bulls about to collide, a third bull ran from behind and fatally pierced Gonzalez’s neck and thigh with its horns.
10.On a plane
A deadly plane crash occurred in May 2014 in Colorado when the pilot lost control of the airplane while posing to take a selfie. He proceeded to crash the Cessna 150 into a nearby wheat field, killing both himself and another passenger upon impact.
Remember no selfie is worth your life, the chase for that perfect shot doesn’t have to end your life.
