16-year-old boy electrocuted after climbing train engine for selfie

A 16-year-old Indian boy was electrocuted after climbing train engine to take a selfie in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

Police said on Friday that the teenager died after he came in contact with high-tension electricity wire.

The boy was said to have climbed a stationary railway engine on Thursday at Chhatarpur railway station, about 336 km northeast of Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) Inspector, Jitendra Kumar, told the media that “yesterday (Thursday) a boy climbed a stationary train engine with the intention to take a photo or selfie, where he grabbed an overhead live high tension electricity line. He was killed on the spot.”

Kumar said climbing the engine itself was wrong, adding that a case had been registered in this regard.

The victim’s friend told the media that he saw his friend getting electrocuted on top of the engine.

“He took his mobile phone and then we saw him climbing the train engine, where he suddenly got electrocuted and fell down on its roof motionless,’’ the victim’s friend,

Ashraf, said.

The Indian railway ministry has been urging people to avoid taking selfies and making stunts near railway tracks.

In some states, authorities declared no-selfie zones around accident-prone locations in tourist destinations, aimed at discouraging people from putting themselves at risk while taking pictures popularly known as selfies. (Xinhua/NAN)