Selfie craze drives them on a risky track
Unmindful of the risks involved, several tourists were seen taking photographs and selfies standing on the Pamban rail bridge on Saturday.
By : migrator
Update: 2017-09-30 18:29 GMT
Madurai
Owing to Dussehra holidays coupled with Gandhi Jayanti, a large number of tourists have been flocking Rameswaram and halting near the bridge to have a glimpse of the natural setting and get a magnificent view of the sea and the coast. A lot of people try to take a picture of fishing activities around, besides indulging in selfies with sea forming a backdrop. The risks attached to this are numerous. Trains cross the Pamban rail bridge several times a day and there are high chances of accidents happening if the tourists are not careful.
Interestingly, it is the local fishermen, who have averted accidents on many instances. Speaking to DT Next, Sagayam, a fishermen from Pamban, said, “Only the local fishermen know the exact timing of the trains passing by the bridge. If there are tourists on the bridge at that time, there is every likelihood that they may panic and fall down.”
Another fisherman, Murugan, also from Pamban, said that it is mostly youngsters who walk on the bridge to take photos. He has had to warn them on several occasions, he added. The youngsters manage to stand on the pillars of the rail bridge, but it is still a risk, Murugan said.
Recently, around 10 peacocks were hit on the Pamban bridge. Tourists walking on it might lead to fatal accidents, another fisherman said.
PERILOUS CLICK
- In September 2017, 22-year-old Ranjithkumar was trying to click a selfie at the Catherine Falls in Kotagiri, when he lost balance and fell to his death.
- In 2016, a 16-year-old student was run over a speeding train while trying to click a picture of himself with the train in Vandalur.
- In 2015, engineering student Prakash plunged 60 feet down and died when the rock on which he was standing cracked in Namakkal district while he was taking a selfie.
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