Young Russian woman plunges to death while taking selfie

Moscow, July 9: A 21-year-old woman in Russia plunged 40 feet to her death when she toppled off a bridge while trying to take a selfie. Anna Krupeynikova was out sightseeing around Moscow with her friends when she leaned against a fence to take a picture of herself.

However, her support reportedly gave way, and she plunged 40 feet to her death. The accident took place when Anna, a tourism graduate, was travelling on a bus the group had hired to celebrate the birthday of a friend.

They stopped by a bridge to take a few pictures of the Russian capital. Anna then wandered away from the group to take a selfie.

When she lent against the fence, with her camera in front of her, it gave way and she tumbled to her death, the Mirror quoted local media as saying. "She was quiet but always cheerful and when we got to the place where she died we had been taking photographs," Anton, from the group, said.

"Suddenly I heard a yell and someone said 'Anna fell down'. I thought it was a joke but then I saw the reaction of people who went and looked over the side of the bridge," said Anton.

Local media said police were investigating whether Anna was under the influence of alcohol, however, her friends said that nobody on the bus had been drinking.

Russia recently launched a campaign urging people to take safe selfies, which uses mock road signs to warn against dangerous poses, after a number of people were killed or injured while clicking photos of themselves.

Around 10 people have been already killed and 100 hurt this year in accidents in Russia while snapping hazardous images, from posing with a loaded gun or a hand grenade to climbing on to a railway bridge.

PTI