All the selfies you take don’t necessarily bring a dozen likes. Some bring death. Reckless behavior while taking a selfie has taken numerous lives across the globe, like the Peruvian who perished in a waterfall, or those who fell from heights to those getting ambushed by a bull in Spain or getting crushed by a train in India. Selfies were the reasons of them all.
This is exactly what went wrong with this vacationing family in Beesian village, KPK. An 11-year-old girl didn’t pay much attention to what the government signs were saying regarding preventive measures to take around the river Kunar. She was trying to take a selfie and chose to stand on slippery rocks when she failed to maintain her balance, slipped and fell in the river. The mother jumped to save her daughter, the father jumped to save his family and all of them faced the inevitable.
source: Instagram
I talked about this matter with a local named Shokat, who had left the area just before this incident. He had a few suggestions for travelers:
– One must avoid rocks near rivers, especially if they are fast flowing.
– Go near those areas only when the locals are nearby who know how to handle an emergency.
– If the fast flowing river water is hard to resist and one has to wet him/herself, try not to go deeper than ankles. Never stand on a rock.
Also, this incident and many others across the globe are a reminder for us to avoid being careless and unnecessarily daring when it comes to life threatening acts. ‘Likes’ do not mean everything. And when it comes to situations concerning life and death, they don’t mean anything.
