A 17-year-old boy in Russia has died after falling 9 stories from a rooftop while engaging in extremely dangerous “rooftopping photography.” The goal of the stunt was another eye-catching photo for his Instagram account.
The International Business Times reports that the boy, identified only as Andrey R., has regularly climbed high rooftops with friends in the city of Vologda, Russia. For his final photo attempt, Andrey was reportedly hanging off the edge of the roof while attached to a rope in order to shoot a photo that made it look like was falling. The rope snapped, Andrey did fall, and he was pronounced dead two hours later in the hospital.
Young daredevils in Russia have attracted a lot of attention on the Internet over the past several years for their vertigo-inducing rooftopping portraits. After climbing the highest structures in their cities, generally without safety devices, they pose for portraits while standing, sitting, or hanging just inches from certain death.
This latest tragedy is precisely why Russia unveiled a national “Safe Selfie” campaign back in July, which warns specifically against taking dangerous pictures from rooftops.
Why are people so desperate for a few likes on Instagram that they would put their lives at risk for a selfie? This generation is so narcissistic and stupid. I feel bad for his family but other than that I don't have any pity for him.