Selfie-lover plunges 40ft to his death from rocks after losing his balance trying to get perfect beach snap
A MAN plunged nearly 40 feet to his death after losing his balance while trying to take a selfie at the beach.
Igor de Oliveira Rodrigues Dias, 33, plummeted to his death from a rock overlooking Joatinga Beach in Rio de Janeiro on November 10.
He was trying to take a selfie from the top of a rock when he fell from a height of around 39ft, local media reported.
Igor suffered fatal injuries after smashing his head on another rock below.
Firefighters raced to try and save him but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A helicopter was used to remove his body from the popular tourist area.
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His devastated mother, Luiza Rodrigues, 60, told local media her son had just signed the contract for a new job.
She explained: “He went out with a friend to have a little celebration on the beach.
“I talked to him, asked where he was. He replied that he was on the beach. But I don’t know why he decided to climb that high rock.”
Igor was a graduate of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and had two post-graduate qualifications.
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Luiza said: “He was an only child, he studied, he had a whole life ahead of him.”
He was buried in the Caju neighbourhood on November 12.
His grieving father, Jonas Dias, told local media: “He died before me, and I don’t accept that.
“I think that every son has to bury his father, and not the father bury his son. It was a tragedy.”
Rio de Janeiro Fire Department spokesman Fabio Contreiras told local media:
He said: “We always have to be safe, never get close to the edge of the rocks, ask someone to take a picture, if necessary.”
A Spanish study published last year showed that between January 2008 and July 2021, one person died every 13 days in an accident while trying to capture a landscape.
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Brazil registered the fifth-highest number of incidents.
Contreiras continued: “Always seek safety first. Don’t risk your life for likes.”