New deadly danger threatens tourists and fans of “extreme” selfies – a new study has shown that every 13 days in the pursuit of spectacular photos, one blogger dies. In the famous Spanish resort of Costa Blanca, or rather – the popular resort town of Benidorm, there is even a special police patrol, whose task is to prevent devastating selfie accidents.
A study by the Spanish iO Foundation found that between 2008 and 2021, tourists worldwide had a horrific number of fatalities – 141 fatal incidents, the victims of which were more often tourists than locals. One of the deadliest places to take a selfie is Niagara Falls in Canada.
In general, the countries with the highest number of victims of selfies are: India, the United States and Russia. Spain is not far behind – it ranks sixth in the world with 15 fatalities due to selfie accidents since 2008. Thus, the study showed that in the first seven months of this year there were 31 fatal accidents due to senseless attempts by tourists to take photos in extreme conditions.
Earlier, in September, a tourist from Ukraine wanted to take a selfie on the popular attraction Balcony of the Mediterranean, but fell down. Following the incident, Benidorm City Council said it had stepped up patrols in popular areas to prevent further tragedies.
A spokesman for Benidorm City Council told El País: “Local police will include the most vulnerable places on their daily routes to patrol and even use drones to monitor the most visited places. Now we want to see how to incorporate this into the preventive interviews that police officers have in schools to convey the importance of preventing such behavior. ”
Here are some more attractive locations for tourists who love selfies and the next places of tragedy in Spain. Marbella: In May, a 24-year-old Norwegian fell from a balcony on the ninth floor in a southern resort town; Barcelona: A 28-year-old woman fell from the roof in November 2020; Madrid: A 14-year-old girl fell out of a window in March 2020.
Researchers claim that tourists are increasingly looking for more extreme places for their selfies. For example, Lillian Arroyo, a researcher on the subject, told El País: “Social networks reward users for extreme content because they work on dynamics – such content allows them to attract more attention. The prize for a very risky selfie is a social situation, and it gives you a rush of adrenaline for every “like” you get. ”
“This, in turn, encourages some people who need this social test to look for new ways to test boundaries and seek further rewards, and this is the ability of people to weigh whether the reward is worth the risk or not,” the expert concluded.
Few statistics: most studies have reported accidents due to falls from heights, including from places such as waterfalls, roofs and rocks. At the same time, mortality is most common in young age groups, where persons under the age of 19 accounted for more than 40% of the total number of deaths.