20.02.2025 16:00
A 53-year-old tourist, Olga Perminova, who was holding onto a train carriage to take photos in Sri Lanka, fell from the train and lost her life. Traveling on the Podi Menike train line, Perminova leaned out of the open door for a fatal photo opportunity and struck a rock, suffering a severe head injury.
A 53-year-old tourist named Olga Perminova, who was holding onto a train carriage to take a photo, died after falling from a train in Sri Lanka.
Traveling on the legendary Podi Menike train line, Perminova leaned out of the open door for a fatal photo opportunity. According to local media, the woman, who was holding onto two metal bars and leaning out of the carriage, suffered a severe head injury after hitting a rock. The Russian tourist, seen in her last photo wearing a pink dress, later died in the hospital.
Perminova was on the Podi Menike train, famous for its tea plantations, lush forests, mountainous terrain, and picturesque views. According to police sources, she fell while leaning out of the train step to take a selfie between the Badulla and Hali Ela stations.
The train was heading to Ella, where the famous Nine Arches Bridge, considered one of the most beautiful railway experiences in the world, is located. The traveler, a member of a Russian tourist group in Sri Lanka, could not be saved despite emergency intervention due to her head injury.
Perminova, who worked for a security company in the Moscow region and was originally from Saratov, had Russian diplomats intervene for the repatriation of her body to her home country.
This incident recalled the death of 35-year-old tourist Tobias Fischer, who fell off a cliff while taking a selfie in Colombia last month.
A study conducted last year revealed that taking selfies should be considered a "public health issue." Australian academics examined selfie-related injuries or deaths worldwide since 2008 and identified nearly 400 cases over 13 years.
The majority of the victims are female tourists in their early 20s. The most common causes of death were determined to be falls and drowning while taking photos. It is estimated that 92 million selfies are taken daily, and researchers emphasize that social media applications should develop software to warn users of dangers.