A 35-year-old man has died after falling from a 170 ft high waterfall in southern India while posing for a picture to upload on social media.
Ramjan Kagji was picnicking with his brother and some friends, at the famous Gokak Waterfall in the Indian state of North Karnataka when tragedy struck. His brother and his friends allegedly told him to move closer to the edge to get a “better angle” on his selfie.
Unfortunately, he lost his grip and fell down. Eyewitnesses said Kagji had begun climbing down the cliff face towards the waterfall to pose for a better picture.
The video of the shocking incident, captured by a tourist gone viral. In the video, one of the men can be heard saying “he’s gone”, while a fellow tourist says “We spotted him going near the edge. We warned him not to but he wouldn’t listen.”
‘The man was doing the stunts as his friends kept shooting, witness Shivaji Kokate said.’
‘After the accident, when we rushed near the spot from where fell off, we overheard his friends saying: “He wouldn’t have lost his life if we hadn’t prodded for a better angle”.
Another witness said: ‘We spotted him going near the edge. We cautioned him against this misadventure, but he wouldn’t listen.’
Local authorities have been searching for the man’s body, but it is yet to be found.
A senior police officer said: ‘The incident happened on Saturday between 3 pm to 4 pm and since then, we have been searching for the victim’s body. The water is very deep that is why we haven’t been able to find out the body yet.’
The police officer added: ‘Whether the victim was drunk or not can be said only after the body is found. As of now, we can’t say anything.’
Following the incident, police have tightened the security at the waterfall to prevent visitors from going near it.
The Gokak Falls is a waterfall located on the Ghataprabha River in Belagavi district of Karnataka, India. The waterfall is horseshoe-shaped at the crest, with a flood breadth of 177 meters (581 ft).