Russian Teenager Killed by Freight Train as She Took Selfie on Tracks

This file image shows trains at an unnamed location in Russia. Pixabay

A Russian schoolgirl was killed when a freight train ran over her as she tried to take selfies on the train tracks near her home.

The girl is reported to be 15 or 16, according to the local transportation authorities, which said she was born in the year 2003.

British tabloids citing EastWest news agency have named her as 15-year-old Karina Baymukhambetova.

She was hit by a freight train in the town of Orsk on the evening of March 24, according to authorities.

She was accompanied by an unnamed young male relative, who is reported to have been hit by the train but “bounced” off, unharmed.

The quest for extreme selfies and videos to quench the thirst for “likes” on social media has become a growing problem in Russia in recent years, with dozens of deaths, and a growing trend for videos and images on top of trains.

Orsk lies in the more densely populated eastern portion of Russia, just above the border with Kazakstan.

Local authorities are investigating the case to see if any criminal proceedings should be brought.

Nikiel railway station in Orsk, near where a 15-year-old girl was killed on March 24, 2019. Screenshot/Google maps

According to local media reports, the driver saw the boy and girl walking on the tracks, where they were trying to get the perfect selfie shot.

“ The driver, seeing two teenagers on the tracks, gave a warning whistle and applied emergency braking,” reported Orsk.ru

The boy was able to get out of the way in time, bouncing off the side of the train, but the girl was dragged under the wheels.

The Daily Mail and the Metro reported that she was “cut to pieces.”

Her death prompted an outpouring on local social media, according to Russian media.

According to the Daily Mail, Family friend Lena Dzyuba wrote, “Such grief. How her mother cried, my heart almost broke into pieces, so awful.’

Anna Kalamaeva, another family friend told the dead girl’s 39-year-old mother: “Eternal memory to your little angel.”

Russian authorities were prompted to remind parents again of the dangers of allowing children onto railway tracks in pursuit of selfies.

In 2015, Russian authorities issued official warnings as a trend for “daredevil” selfies and videos took hold, saying “a cool selfie could cost you your life.” Over 100 people had been injured and 10 killed in death-defying stunts gone wrong, including a woman wounded by a gunshot and two men who killed themselves blowing up grenades.

Some selfies are more dangerous than others… zanariahsalam/iStock

In October, researchers found that since 2011, there had been 259 documented deaths worldwide from taking selfies. The research, however, was limited. They believe that the 259 recorded cases to be just the tip of the iceberg, as people brush with death to get the perfect image, falling off boats and over waterfalls.

In nearby Ukraine last year a teenager died after his parachute failed to open when he jumped off a 14-story building, according to local reports.

The 15-year-old boy’s mother was watching, together with dozens of onlookers as he threw himself off the building, trusting his life to what some reports describe as a homemade parachute, a crash helmet, and “padding” on the ground below.

The “extreme” social media stunt was filmed on Dec. 15, 2018, by the onlookers who appeared to have encouraged him.

Video footage shows a figure waving his arms atop a building under construction in the eastern city of Makiivka, before launching off the edge with a shout.

A parachute can be seen trailing unopened behind him as he accelerates out of sight behind another building, just above the ground.