A 21-YEAR-OLD Russian woman shot herself in the head when she tried to take a selfie with a pellet gun pointed at her temple, Moscow police report.

When trying to take the selfie in her office on Thursday, she pulled the trigger of an air gun left behind by a security guard.

She survived the accident, but was hospitalised.

media_camera Misadventure ... when taking a selfie in her office, a Russian woman pulled the trigger of a pellet gun left behind by security staff. Picture: Supplied

Also on Thursday, a Russian man nearly lost his life while trying to take a selfie while climbing an arched bridge in central Moscow.

The man plunged to the ground and hit the asphalt, but also managed to survive despite having suffered several injuries, for which he was also hospitalised.

The self-portrait taken with a mobile phone or webcam has led to numerous accidents, some with tragic results.

On Monday, a ninth grader died in the Russian city of St Petersburg after falling from a fifth-floor fire escape, which he had climbed to take a selfie.

Originally published as Woman shoots herself taking selfie