Tourist Plunges to Death While Taking Selfie With Girlfriend at Waterfall
A tourist fell 80 feet to his death while taking a selfie with his girlfriend at a popular waterfall in Bali.
Giancarlo Zicari died while posing for a photo with his girlfriend Ilaria Biagi at the top of the Gajah Mas waterfalls in the Baturiti district in Bali, Indonesia, around 11:30 on Sunday.
Zicari, a 49-year-old engineer from Rome, Italy, and his girlfriend had decided to take a selfie from a viewing terrace in Gajah Mas waterfalls that had two wooden seats next to the iron railing intended to prevent falls.
According to the Bali Sun, Zicari and Biagi were leaning on the metal railing to take a selfie when it allegedly collapsed — resulting in the couple both falling into the ravine below.
The couple both fell and landed at the base of the waterfalls. Biagi survived the fall, but she found her boyfriend dead.
Despite a suspected mild head injury and abrasions throughout her body, Biagi managed to find help. She was given first aid and was rushed to hospital.
Zicari’s body was removed by the authorities and taken to the Baturiti Health Centre in Tabanan.
Local police confirmed the incident to reporters in Bali, but declined to comment on whether the railing had buckled under their weight while taking a selfie and was responsible for Zicari’s death.
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.
Last month, a teen influencer died while taking a selfie at the top of a waterfall to share with her 150,000 followers on social media.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos (right) and sourced via Instagram (left).
