WASHINGTON, D.C. Oct. 3 (DPI) – A medical research group in India came up with a startling fact recently: 259 people over a six-year period worldwide lost their lives while taking photos of themselves.

The Washington Post reached out to the organization, The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, whose lead author described the development as a “major health problem.”

Overall, according to The Post,

Of the 259 deaths, researchers found the leading cause to be drowning, followed by incidents involving transportation — for example, taking a selfie in front of an oncoming train — and falling from heights. Other causes of selfie-related deaths include animals, firearms and electrocution.

Readers on The Post site – and The Post site allows nearly all vulgarity-free remarks to post – were often cruelly dismissive of the news that people died while taking “selfies.”  “Selfie deaths are how natural selection weeds out the stupid,” wrote one.

And readers also snickered that, at about 46 deaths per year over six years, there was any kind of major health problem.

Among the most popular comments:

At least they died taking pictures of who they loved.

Dying for attention.  Literally.

250 people worldwide over 6 years is not a major public health problem.
It is impetus for a specialized Darwin Award just for selfie-oriented expirations.

Selfie deaths are how natural selection weeds out the stupid.

Darwin is winning