Teen Influencer Falls to Death While Taking Selfies at Top of Waterfall
A teen influencer died while taking a selfie at the top of a waterfall to share with her 150,000 followers on social media.
14-year-old Moe Sa Nay died after she slipped while posing for photos at the top of Sinywa Waterfall in the town of Paung in Mon State, Myanmar on July 22. Nay was a TikTok star with 150,000 followers on the platform.
According to The Mirror, Nay was taking selfies with her friend when she slipped on the wet rocks at Sinywa Waterfall.
The TikTok star reportedly fell into the fast-flowing waters cascading down the rock face. The teen was then swept away downstream by the current and her body was left jammed between two large boulders.
Nay was unable to free herself and drowned while struggling against the strong current. Rescue workers were unable to reach the scene before she died, and had trouble when they tried to remove her body the following morning which was still crammed between the rocks.
Local rescue workers said she was one of two girls who slipped, with the other, her friend, having escaped with minor injuries.
“The one who slipped reached the bottom, but died after getting stuck between the rocks,” rescue worker Mon Zaw told local media outlets, according to The Mirror.
“She died because she couldn’t get out. They tried to rescue her but couldn’t pull her out. Then the aid organizations and officials came.”
Nay’s body was taken to the Paung Township General Hospital for a post-mortem examination. The incident comes a few months after a tourist fell more than 170 feet to her death when she stumbled while taking a selfie from a clifftop viewing platform.
Death While Taking a Selfie Has Become a Modern Crisis
The tragic incident comes after a recent study suggested that taking selfies may pose a “public health problem” amid the near ubiquitous use of smartphones and social media apps.
The paper scraped news reports of selfie-related deaths as well as a cross-sectional study by the iO Foundation that found 379 people were killed while taking selfies around the world between January 2008 and July 2021.
The researchers identified falls from height as the most common type of selfie-related injury. They said that tourists were most at risk, with the most common cause of death being falling from cliffs or waterfalls while attempting to take a selfie.
The paper also found that prior to their deaths, people often climbed over barriers and fenced-off areas to reach the perfect selfie spot.
According to the study, the average age of reported victims was around 22 years old. Researchers said that victims of selfie-related injuries were more likely to be female tourists.
The researchers said that “risk treatments” to prevent selfie deaths were limited. However, the adoption of “no selfie zones,” physical barriers, signage, and provision of information on dangerous locations to social media users could help.
Image credits: Header photo via Facebook.
