Girl, 17, plunges to her death after taking risky selfie on top of railway bridge

The teenager plunged 30 feet to her death as she climbed on top of a railway bridge to take a selfie

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by Kayleigh Dray |
Published on

Teenager Xenia Ignatyeva was hit by 1,500 volts as she was electrocuted when she tried to grab live wires whilst falling.

The keen photographer had been trying to take a dramatic selfie when she climbed up onto the railway bridge in Saint Petersburg, Russia - but she somehow lost her balance and toppled over the side.

As she fell, she desperately grabbed at a high voltage cable and electrocuted herself before her body dropped onto the concrete below.

"The police said she wanted to take a snap of herself at night, to give it the most dramatic effect"

Her grieving grandmother Olga said: "The police said she wanted to take a snap of herself at night, to give it the most dramatic effect and with the railway line as a backdrop.

"She was taking it herself so she went up there on her own, a girlfriend was waiting below."

Just the other day we saw a teenager getting kicked in the head by a train conductor - from a moving train - as he attempted to take a selfie dangerously close to the tracks.

Experts have spoken out against risky selfies, with psychologist Martin Voigt, from Munich University, explaining that people are driven by the desire to play with danger.

"We need to look at the deeper meaning of photos taken on railway tracks.

"The photo is not so much about the theme of it, but the component behind it - they play with danger."

Stock Image used.

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