Russian tourist Olga Perminova, 53, was riding the Podi Menike train – which passes through spectacular scenery in Sri Lanka – when she tragically smashed her head into a rock while taking a selfie
A tourist died on a legendary rail line in Sri Lanka as she leaned out of the train to take a selfie.
Olga Perminova, 53, hit a rock and suffered horrific head injuries, according to reports. The Russian traveller died later in hospital. She was seen in a pink dress leaning from the train moments before the tragedy.
She was on the Podi Menike train, famed for its spectacular scenery as it passes lush tea plantations, dense forests, mountainous terrains, and picturesque landscapes. Perminova “died after falling off the train when attempting to take a selfie while hanging from the train footboard between the Badulla and Hali Ela railway stations,” said a local report citing police. “The woman knocked against a rock, fell off the train and sustained severe injuries.”
The train was heading for Ella, home to the famous Nine Arches Bridge on a line that has been called one of the world’s greatest rail experiences. She was given emergency treatment but died from her head injuries. She was part of a Russian tour group in Sri Lanka.
Perminova, a grandmother, worked for a security company in Moscow region, and was originally from Saratov. Russian diplomats are handling the arrangements for repatriating her body following the selfie tragedy.
In the UK earlier this month, tourists were seen dicing with death to take photos as they peer over a notorious cliff edge/ Groups of sightseers including foreign students were seen high above the beach between Birling Gap and Beachy Head, East Sussex. The cliff tops offer stunning views of the coastline and rise to a height of 531ft (161m). The Mirror captured groups of friends there, including a young woman wearing a short skirt and boots, standing close to the cliff edge for a photo.
Nearby, another man was seen checking his phone about 2ft from the ledge. They stood on the precipice despite a series of warnings about safety there, and the danger of chalk falls.
Coastguards regularly urge people to keep away from the edge and also to stay away from the cliff base. Geologists warn that cracks can stretch back 10m (33ft) to 15m (49ft) into the cliffs. In 2017, 50,000 tonnes of chalk crumbled at nearby Seven Sisters and fell onto the beach below.
