More died this year trying to take selfies than from shark attacks

Mary Bowerman | USA TODAY Network

Show Caption Hide Caption More people died this year trying to take a selfie than from shark attacks More people have died this year while trying to take the perfect selfie than from shark attacks because they lose sight of their surroundings. Sean Dowling (@seandowlingtv) has more.

Next time you aim to channel your inner Kim Kardashian and snap a selfie, you might want to think twice.

A Japanese tourist reportedly died of a heart attack after falling down a staircase at the Taj Mahal's Royal Gate while attempting to take a selfie, the BBC reports. Another man recently shot himself while posing for a selfie, and in 2014, a couple fell off a cliff while trying to snap a picture of themselves.

Citing numerous selfie-related accidents, the Russian Interior Ministry launched an information campaign to teach citizens how to take safely a selfie in July.

Noticing a trend in selfie-related deaths, Mashable decided to dig a little deeper. The outlet compared selfie-related deaths to shark attacks, and found more people died while trying to take a selfie this year than were killed by sharks.

In 2015, 12 people died while attempting to take a selfie and eight people died from shark attacks, according to Mashable.

The selfie-related injuries and deaths have prompted many places to ban selfie sticks.

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