There were dozens of injuries and fatalities this year as people took extreme risks in search of the edgiest shot. Be careful out there 
 
 If 2013 and 2014 were the years when the selfie craze took hold, then 2015 was when we discovered how dangerous they are. 
 
 In January, three Indian college students were killed by a train when they stopped on the road to Agra and tried to take a photograph of themselves in front of it. A fourth friend survived to tell the tale. In the same month, two men in the Ural mountains died while taking a selfie with a hand grenade – after they had removed the pin. In March, seven young men drowned in Nagpur, India, after capsizing a boat while posing on one side. 
 
 In May, Eri Yunanto was killed when he fell into a crater up Mount Merapi in Java, Indonesia; in Bali a Singaporean tourist, Mohamed Aslam Shahul, was killed when he was swept off a cliff by a wave. In Romania, 18-year-old Anna Ursu was killed while climbing on top of a train for a picture. In Ryazan, Russia – still in May – another teen died doing the same thing. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest A woman perches on a window ledge in Tokyo to take a selfie. Photograph: Petri Artturi Asikainen/Getty Images 
 
 In August it was David González Lopez, 32, killed photographing himself during the bull run in Villaseca de la Sagra, Spain. In September, a teenaged Russian urban climbing enthusiast fell from the roof of a nine-storey building. 
 
 Three people in Yellowstone national park in the US were gored by bison while taking selfies too close to them. At least two Americans were taken to hospital after being bitten by rattlesnakes. Then there are the many, many people who accidentally shot themselves while posing with loaded guns. 
 
 In the past, Darwin awards have been declared for deaths like these, attributing the victim’s death to their foolishness, but really, it seems fair to put most down to youthful misadventure – egged on by the promise of a souvenir photograph and an online audience. 
 
 In Russia, selfie deaths are now becoming a matter of national concern. “Since the beginning of the year, we are talking about some hundred cases of injuries for sure,” said Yelena Alexeyeva, an aide to the interior minister – and she was speaking in July. 
 
 As a result, the interior ministry launched a public safety campaign, warning people not to pose in dangerous places, and to keep their wits about them. Perhaps some day, ideally soon, the “safe selfie” lesson will be a fact of life in the world’s schools. 
 
 • This article was amended on 30 January 2015 to remove a reference to Kristi Kafcaloudis, who fell from the Trolltunga rock in Norway. Although initial reports suggested she was taking a selfie at the time, her family subsequently said she was trying to get past other people posing for photographs. ||||| A 66-year-old Japanese tourist has died, and his travel companion has been injured, after falling down stairs while attempting to take a selfie at the Taj Mahal. 
 
 The man's death raises the selfie-related death toll this year — to 12. To put that in perspective, in 2015 there have so far been eight deaths caused by shark attacks. 
 
 Image: Donte Neal, Mashable 
 
 It sounds like a joke, but unfortunately it isn't: The deaths are a tragic reminder to travelers that focusing on a phone screen instead of unfamiliar surroundings is not safe. 
 
 Four of the selfie deaths this year, like the tourist, identified as Hideto Ueda, were caused by falling. 
 
 The next leading cause of deaths involving selfies was being hit or injured by trains, either because the individual was taking trying to get a photo with a train or because the photo they wanted involved getting on dangerous equipment. 
 
 It's not clear if the number of daredevil selfies is increasing, but more and more tourists are making headlines because of their dangerous attempts at a memorable photo. Parks have closed because visitors keep trying to take selfies with bears, bull runs — an already dangerous activity — have had to expressly outlaw selfie-taking, and even Tour de France cyclists are concerned about selfie danger. 
 
 With no idea how far some people will go for a great selfie, many landmarks have begun banning selfies — or at least selfie sticks. As Conde Nast Traveler pointed out in their article on selfies vs. sharks, in July the Russian Interior Ministry released a brochure, warning about cool selfies that "could cost you your life." Selfie-takers are urged to take precaution with weapons, ledges, dangerous animals, trains and live wires. 
 
 "Before taking a selfie, everyone should think about the fact that racing after a high number of 'likes' could lead him on a journey to death and his last extreme photo could turn out to be posthumous," an aide to Russia's interior minister told Al Jazeera. ||||| Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The tourist had slipped while taking a selfie at the royal gate near the monument 
 
 A Japanese tourist has died after allegedly slipping down the stairs at India's Taj Mahal monument. 
 
 Eyewitness Sagar Singh told BBC Hindi that the tourist fell while taking a selfie at the Taj Mahal's Royal Gate. 
 
 Police said he lost consciousness immediately after the fall and succumbed to head injuries in hospital. 
 
 The Taj Mahal, a 17th Century mausoleum built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan after his wife's death, attracts about 12,000 visitors a day. 
 
 Agra tourist police officer Sushant Gaur told BBC Hindi that the Japanese tourist had been with three other people when the incident occurred. 
 
 One of his colleagues fractured his leg, after both fell from the staircase of the monument in the afternoon, police said. 
 
 The Japanese embassy has been informed about the death, and an investigation is being conducted into the incident. 
 
 There have been several deaths linked to selfies in recent years. 
 
 Earlier this year, the Russian government reportedly launched a campaign to make young people think twice before snapping selfies in risky situations. 
 
 In May, a 21-year-old woman survived accidentally shooting herself in the head while posing for a selfie with a gun in Moscow. There have also been several cases of children being electrocuted while taking selfies on top of railway carriages in Russia. 
 
 In August, a man in Spain was gored to death by a bull while taking a selfie at the annual bull running festival in the town of Villaseca de la Sagra. ||||| Image copyright AFP Image caption Selfie warnings will be put in Mumbai's iconic Marine Drive promenade 
 
 Police in the Indian city of Mumbai have identified 15 places where taking selfies "can be dangerous". 
 
 The places include the iconic sea-facing Marine Drive promenade and the popular Girgaum Chowpatty beach, both major tourist attractions. 
 
 The decision was taken after an 18-year-old girl drowned in the sea while taking a selfie last week. 
 
 Last year, authorities imposed a "no selfie zone" at a Hindu festival due to fears they could cause stampedes. 
 
 Signs saying "no selfie zone" can be seen around the two festival sites in the city, which is the capital of Maharashtra state. 
 
 Mumbai police spokesperson Dhananjay Kulkarni told the BBC that the places where taking selfies was risky included Bandra Bandstand, Sion Fort and Worli Fort, all places popular with tourists. 
 
 "The police will now approach the city's municipality to prevent accidents at such spots due to people taking selfies. The municipality may deploy life guards and install warning signs," Mr Kulkarni said. 
 
 The police warning follows Saturday's incident when three girls trying to take a selfie near the sea in the Bandra area fell into the water. 
 
 One of them drowned and her body is yet to be recovered. 
 
 A passerby, 37-year-old Ramesh Walanju, jumped in and helped save the other two girls but was washed away by the choppy waters and his body was found floating in a nearby creek on Monday, AFP said. 
 
 Image copyright AFP Image caption Most of the selfie warnings will come up at the city's tourist attractions 
 
 In September a Japanese tourist died after allegedly slipping down the stairs while taking a selfie at the Taj Mahal monument in Agra. 
 
 Last year, the Russian government reportedly launched a campaign to make young people think twice before snapping selfies in risky situations. 
 
 In May, a 21-year-old woman survived accidentally shooting herself in the head while posing for a selfie with a gun in Moscow. There have also been several cases of children being electrocuted while taking selfies on top of railway carriages in Russia. 
 
 In August, a man in Spain was gored to death by a bull while taking a selfie at the annual bull running festival in the town of Villaseca de la Sagra. ||||| The selfie is inescapable. 
 
 Though in its waning days as a buzzword, it continues to pervade every facet of daily life. In the course of any given week, “selfie” is mentioned in 365,000 Facebook posts and 150,000 tweets. A comb of Instagram hashtags turns up more than 50 million results for the word. 
 
 Like any wide-spread activity, the selfie is not immune to tragedy. In pursuit of the ultimate profile pic, stick-yielding youths often go to extremes: They perch themselves on cliffs. They pose beside wild animals. They play chicken with oncoming trains. And sometimes, they don’t make it out alive. 
 
 While selfie deaths have received a fair amount of coverage (last year’s viral post about how more people die from selfies than shark attacks comes to mind), the extent of the problem, and the data behind it, hasn’t been appropriately explored. 
 
 So, we went through three years of news archives, compiling every reported instance of a selfie-related death (that is, a death that was precipitated by taking a selfie). This is by no means a conclusive study (there are, no doubt, unreported cases), but it still gives us a visage into both the scope of the issue, and those who are affected by it. Here’s what we found: since 2014, 49 people have died while attempting to photograph themselves; the average age of the victims is 21 years old, and 75% of them are male. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Zachary Crockett; Data via Google News Archives, Wikipedia. NOTE: 4 fatalities are not represented in the top chart, as the age was undetermined 
 
 Polls have shown that 30% of all photographs taken by 18 to 24 year-olds are selfies — the highest percentage of any age bracket. So the average age here (21) doesn’t come as much of a surprise: it makes sense that the demographic taking the most selfies also perishes the most in the process. 
 
 Though women take significantly more selfies than men, 36 of the 49 selfie-related fatality victims were male. Studies have proven that men are two times more likely to take recreational risks than women are, even when it comes to selfies. Researchers at Ohio State University found that men who frequently post selfies score significantly higher in the traits of “narcissism” and “psychopathy” in personality tests. As a result, when these men take a selfie, they brush off potential dangers in favor of validation and personal gain. 
 
 "It's all about me. It's putting me in the frame. I'm getting attention and when I post that to social media, I'm getting the confirmation that I need from other people that I'm awesome," says lead researcher Jesse Fox. "You're not thinking about the consequences of your actions, so who cares if you're dangling off the side of the Eiffel Tower?" 
 
 Next, let's take a look at the fatal risks selfie-enthusiasts are taking. 
 
 Zachary Crockett; Data via Google News Archives, Wikipedia 
 
 One-third of all people who met their demise in the midst of a selfie fell from heights — most commonly, a cliff or a building. 
 
 In late August of 2015, for example, a 25 year-old man Chinese man ventured off-trail to snap a selfie at the top of Long Men waterfall in eastern China. Distracted by the camera, he took a misstep and plunged 100 feet down into a ravine, where he died instantly. When authorities recovered his body several days later, his selfie stick-mounted phone — still intact — contained a picture of him in the process of falling. 
 
 The following month, a 17 year-old Russian student climbed a nine-story building near Moscow, and hung off the ledge to make it appear as if he were falling. He intended to capture the “ultimate” selfie for his Instagram page; instead, his hand slipped, and he fell to his death. Just weeks earlier, he’d posted a similar image of himself in a precarious position: 
 
 Via Instagram (Drewssik) 
 
 
 
 Such stunts are not gender-exclusive: earlier this month, a 19 year-old girl stumbled off of a 20-story building in the Philippines while taking a selfie; she died on impact. "She was not satisfied with the photos we had taken [of her],” her classmate later told a local paper, “so she decided to climb up and take her own." 
 
 Sadly, selfie-takers get much more extreme than cliffs and buildings. Eight victims have been been killed by trains — either via electrocution or direct impact. 
 
 In march of 2014, a young man posed for a selfie atop a boxcar. Diverted, he was unaware of the 35,000-volt livewire just beside him. When he stepped on it, he was instantly killed. Weeks later, a nearly identical incident occurred in Kerala, India. 
 
 Three 20-year-old college students were killed last January after attempting to “play daredevil” with on oncoming train in India. According to a friend who bailed out at the last minute, the men were hoping to capture a selfie that would get them “many likes” on social networking sites. 
 
 Then there are the truly bizarre cases: The 21-year-old Mexican man who accidentally shot himself in the head while taking a selfie with a gun. The Cessna pilot who crashed, killing both himself and a passenger, after his cellphone selfies led him to lose control of the aircraft. The two Russian teens who blew themselves up while posing for a selfie with a live grenade in the Ural Mountains. The man who attempted a selfie at the running of the bulls festival in Spain and was fatally gored in the neck. 
 
 It seems that humans from all corners of the Earth are prone to taking selfies at sub-optimal moments. Where do the worst case outcomes most commonly happen? 
 
 Zachary Crockett; Data via Google News Archives, Wikipedia 
 
 To an alarming degree, selfie deaths seem to plague India. Here, 19 individuals — 40% of all selfie-related fatalities — met their demise. This can’t solely be attributed to India’s large population (China, by contrast, has only one reported death). So what’s going on? 
 
 In general, India has a very high drowning fatality rate. Each year, 86,000 people drown in the country, roughly 20% of all drowning deaths worldwide. According to the United Nations’ World Health Organization, the bulk of these deaths are youths between the ages of 15 and 25, many of whom never had the resources to properly learn how to swim — especially in India’s poorly-equipped waterways. 
 
 “The rains fill ditches and cause rivers and lakes to swell throughout the country, creating hazards for locals,” one public official told the International Business Times. “Villagers are often too preoccupied with their work to adequately supervise their [children’s] play. When a child is pulled from the water, most villagers lack any knowledge of proper resuscitation techniques.” 
 
 Add to this mix a distracted selfie-taker, and you have a recipe for disaster. 
 
 The stories are bountiful, and tragic, and often involve large groups of teenagers. In March of 2015, for instance, seven boys drowned on a lake in Nagpur, India after standing up for a selfie and flipping their boat. Four more drowned in the Narmada Canal (a 332-mile waterway that is prone to flooding) after slipping off the banks during a selfie, and two more were swept away by the current at a beach in Mumbai. 
 
 In the wake of these tragedies, government officials in India have declared 16 “no selfie zones” throughout the country, where large signs and lifeguards warn selfie-takers to steer clear. 
 
 India isn’t the first country to do this: Russia — which ranks second, with 7 selfie fatalities — released a full-scale marketing campaign last summer (complete with icons of bad selfie ideas) aimed at reducing the spat of deaths in their country. 
 
 "When a person is trying to take a picture of themselves, they become distracted, lose their balance, they don't look around and don't feel in danger," reads a website set up for the cause. "When taking a selfie, be sure that you are in a safe place and your life is not in danger!" 
 
 Via MVD, a Russian selfie safety website 
 
 This leads us to a final question: are selfies risky by nature, or is the only dangerous component the underlying behavior that accompanies them? 
 
 Of the 49 cases we examined, not a single death was caused by the selfie itself. To our knowledge, nobody has ever been fatally impaled by a selfie stick; rather, the selfie seems to serve as an inopportune catalyst — a distractor in situations where the picture-taker should should be focused on safety. 
 
 “A lot of these so-called selfie deaths can be blamed more on carelessness than photography,” Morgan O’Rourke, a risk management professional with 15 years of experience, tells us. “You have to be careful about taking shortcuts when trying to determine what is and isn’t threatening.” 
 
 Data via Google News Archives, CDC reports, academic studies; when a 2015 figure was not available, an estimate was made based off of historical data. 
 
 Still, most extreme selfie-takers are driven by the validation of their peers on social media. A look through the Instagram page of Andrey Retrovsky — the 17-year-old who died taking a selfie on a 9-story building in Russian — yields words of encouragement from users: “Keep getting crazier, bro!”; “Next, try a skyscraper”; “If you [climb] higher, it will be sexier ;)”. 
 
 Many of those who died taking selfies seem to have fallen victim to the Internet’s show-all, tell-all daredevil mentality. As one professional photographer imparts to his admirers in a blog post: “The best photos happen only when you take risks to get them; you have to be willing to lose in order to win big.” 
 
 Some losses just don’t seem worth it. 
 
 In our next post, we explore the massive disparity in what pawn shops pay for various items. To get notified when we post it → join our email list. 
 
 This post was written by Zachary Crockett. You can follow him on Twitter at @zzcrockett ||||| Indian prime minister candidate Narendra Modi takes a "selfie" with a mobile phone after casting his vote at a polling station during India's general election in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on April 30, 2014. (Amit Dave/Reuters) 
 
 India may have a selfie-loving prime minister, Narendra Modi, but Indians in general seem to be bad at selfie safety. 
 
 Of at least 27 “selfie related” deaths around the world last year, about half occurred in India, reports show. 
 
 In 2015, Indians taking selfies died while posing in front of an oncoming train, in a boat that tipped over at a picnic, on a cliff that gave way and crumbled into a 60-foot ravine and on the slippery edge of a scenic river canal. Also, in September, a Japanese tourist trying to take a selfie fell down steps at the Taj Mahal, suffering fatal head injuries. 
 
 Mumbai police said this week that they had identified more than a dozen “no-selfie zones” around India’s largest city after three young girls were swept out into the Arabian Sea while taking selfies in a rocky part of the Bandra area Saturday. One of the young women is presumed to have drowned, as did a man who jumped in to save them. 
 
 A Mumbai police spokesman, Dhananjay Kulkarni, told the BBC that police would be asking city officials to take steps to reduce the risk of selfies at popular tourist spots such as the city’s famous Marine Drive, including deploying life guards and posting warning signs. Police would also be giving warnings, authorities said. 
 
 Last year, no-selfie zones were also established in certain areas of the massive Hindu religious gathering called the Kumbh Mela because organizers feared bottlenecks caused by selfie-takers could spark stampedes. ||||| While it is a cool thing to click selfies while hanging out with your buddies, it seems like we Indians are terrible at it, at least when it comes to the safety aspect. 
 
 AFP/ Representative Image 
 
 According to the Washington Post in 2015, some 27 cases of deaths were reported from across the world while trying to take selfies. Out of the 27 more than half were reported from India. 
 
 In 2015, Indians taking selfies died while posing in front of an oncoming train, in a boat that tipped over at a picnic, on a cliff that gave way and crumbled into a 60-foot ravine and on the slippery edge of a scenic river canal. Also, in September, a Japanese tourist trying to take a selfie fell down steps at the Taj Mahal, suffering fatal head injuries. 
 
 thinkstockphotos/ Representative Image 
 
 Following the drowning of two people last week, while clicking selfies, Mumbai police had this week identified 15 “no-selfie zones”in the city. 
 
 While majority of the selfie-mishaps are caused by carelessness, the craze for a 'cool selfie' like the one below could also put you in a spot of trouble. 
 
 And remember... don't try this at home! 
 
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– The Washington Post takes a deep dive into the field of selfie research, and it's come up with a disturbing number: The paper says 27 people died while taking selfies in 2015, and in some countries, it's become a major headache. Nearly half of those deaths occurred in India, which has started imposing "no-selfie zones" in places where the activity "can be dangerous," the BBC reports. Russia's not far behind, with the Guardian noting it's become a "matter of national concern" there. "Since the beginning of [2015], we are talking about some hundred cases of injuries for sure," a Russian interior minister aide said last year. And the UK's Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents in November warned locals not to take "storm selfies" during some particularly bad weather, Sky News reports. Some of the more bizarre or notable selfie cases last year: A Japanese tourist suffered fatal head injuries after tumbling down the steps of the Taj Mahal. A man was gored to death in Spain taking a photo during his run with the bulls. A Russian teen plummeted from a nine-story building while trying to bulk up his compilation of pics taken in dangerous places. (By mid-September, more people had died by selfie than shark in 2015.)