Max Selfie-Linked Deaths In India, 'Selfie Danger Zones' To Be Identified

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an expert practitioner of selfies, posting them regularly on foreign trips.

Now the central government has asked states to ensure that tourist attractions are selfie-safe. The maximum number of selfie-related deaths last year were reported in India.

In a letter, the Culture Ministry which is headed by Mahesh Sharma has said that parts of cities that are popular with tourists but have potential pitfalls  - the note refers to "accident-prone locations"  - should be clearly identified by the administration and signs should be posted to "warn visitors of the danger involved in taking selfies at such locations." (Scroll below to read the entire letter.)

Regular warnings are also to be sounded through public address systems, if possible, with local police and volunteers assisting on the ground in "selfie danger zones."

In January, the Mumbai police  identified 16 dangerous selfie spots across the city after a man drowned trying to save a girl who fell into the sea while taking a photo of herself.

The spots include the major tourist attractions of Chowpatty beach and the Marine Drive promenade.

In April, a school boy died at the Hyderabad Zoo while attempting a selfie on top of a tall fountain. The 16-year-old slipped and hit his head on a rock.

Last year, nearly 15 selfie-based deaths took place in 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," the Washington Post reported.