He was trying to take a picture in front of the oncoming train. PHOTO: FILE
The pursuit of an exciting social media display picture has cost a young man his life.
A 20-year-old man was killed on Tuesday while attempting to take a selfie in front of an oncoming train near Mareer Chowk.
According to eyewitnesses and Rescue 1122 officials, Khan, a resident of Bhoosa Godown, Dhoke Ratta, and a friend saw the oncoming train and decided to take a picture.
The section of the tracks where the boys were standing is an elevated flyover bridge on Mareer Chowk. The section has elevated steel barriers on both sides to keep people off the tracks. It is believed that Khan and his friend had climbed over the barrier to take the picture, and Khan was unable to climb out of the way of escape the oncoming train.
Khan’s body was moved to the District Headquarters Hospital for postmortem. Pervez Khan, the father of the deceased, is reportedly a Pakistan Railways employee.
Khan was unemployed and had recently completed a diploma in vehicle mechanics, a friend of the deceased told The Express Tribune.
Asking not to be named, the friend said Khan was from a low-income household and was looking for work to help support his family.
Various people outside Khan’s house claimed that railway authorities had made no safety arrangements along the tracks, which often pass through populated areas. At the same time, they admitted that Khan lost his life due to his own carelessness.
Railways Divisional Superintendent Abdul Malik was unavailable for comment.
The death is another example of selfie-related deaths and injuries.
On November 22, a 19-year-old from Government Science College, Samanabad, also lost his life on a railway track, when he failed to jump out of the way of an oncoming train. He was acting on a dare from his friends as part of a social media stunt.
On June 22, two boys in Faisalabad were shot and injured by the police while they were taking selfies with toy pistols.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2015.
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