Selfie tragedy at Andhra waterfall claims three teen lives

A day of laughter and leisure turned fatal when three teenage girls drowned while attempting to take selfies at a waterfall in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitharama Raju district.

The incident occurred recently in the Ananthagiri hills, where four girls from Jambuvalasa village in Hukumpeta mandal had gone on an outing to the Mulagummi waterfall, a forested spot near Visakhapatnam.

According to police, the girls were standing on slippery rocks close to the falls, trying to take selfies, when they lost their footing and slipped into the water. None of them knew how to swim, officials said, worsening the situation as the current quickly pulled them in.

Hearing their cries for help, locals rushed to the scene and managed to rescue one of the girls, who was later taken to a hospital. However, the other three — Trisha (17), Ratnakumari (16), and Pavitra (16) — were swept away and could not be saved.

Police teams later reached the site and retrieved the bodies. A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway to determine the exact sequence of events.

Authorities warned that while the waterfall may appear relatively small, the terrain is extremely slippery and the currents deceptively strong, posing serious risks to visitors.

Police have urged tourists to exercise caution, avoid venturing too close to water bodies in remote areas, and refrain from taking selfies in hazardous conditions.