A viral TikTok "boat challenge" has led to four deaths in the United States in the past six months, officials said, as per The Independent. In the dangerous stunt, people are filmed jumping and flipping off the back of a speeding boat into the water. Even though the challenge seems pretty simple, Jim Dennis, of Alabama's Childersburg Rescue Squad, said that it led to four "easily avoidable" drowning deaths in the state.
"That is a very big concern because we have seen this pattern emerge over the last two years and it's sporadic, but it's something that needs to go away and stay away," Mr Dennis said.
According to the outlet, the first instance took place in February. A father died attempting the viral challenge with his wife and three young children on board the boat. The most recent death came in mid-May, Mr Dennis said, adding that all fatalities were male.
"The four that we responded to when they jumped out of the boat, they literally broke their neck and, you know, basically an instant death," Mr Dennis said, as per People.
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Further, the official urged families and friends to encourage their loved ones not to try the deadly challenge. "I think people, if they're being filmed on camera, I think they're more likely to do something stupid because they want to show off in front of their friends for social media," he told a local media outlet. "Do not do it," he said, adding, "It's not worth your life."
Following the deaths, TikTok placed a warning on the viral trend videos, cautioning participants that the activity "could result in you or others getting hurt".
Meanwhile, this is not the first time a TikTok challenge has resulted in fatalities or injuries. Last month, a 16-year-old girl in France died while attempting a viral TikTok challenge called "scarf game" - a variation of TikTok's "blackout challenge" that has killed several people over the past year.
In a similar incident, a Chinese influencer named Zhong Yuan Huang Ge, also known as Brother Huang to his 176,000 social media followers, died on June 2 after binging excessive amounts of potent liquor on camera as part of the viral 'PK' challenge.
