A tourist from China was critically injured after leaning out of a moving train in Sri Lanka for photos and slamming her head into a tunnel wall.
The 35-year-old unidentified woman suffered severe head and leg injuries and was rushed to the hospital, the South China Morning Post reported.
The incident occurred on March 9 while she was traveling from the village of Nanu Oya to Badulla, situated in the central hills of the country.
Highlights
- A tourist was critically injured in Sri Lanka after leaning out of a moving train to take photos.
- The Chinese woman, aged 35, was rushed to the hospital after hitting her head against a tunnel wall.
- Photo stunts on moving trains are popular but dangerous, warn local guides.
She was reportedly taking photos with her body hanging out of the moving train when her head hit a tunnel wall, causing her to fall, the outlet reported.
A 35-year-old Chinese tourist was critically injured in Sri Lanka after leaning out of a moving train to take photos
Image credits: Alohadunya/stock.adobe,com
A day after the accident, the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka issued a statement on its website, reminding tourists to "stay away from train doors and do not lean out of trains for photos."
It also reminded travelers to behave responsibly around railway lines.
According to the SCMP, the type of photos the woman was trying to recreate are popular among tourists in Sri Lanka.
A local tour guide told the Chinese media Hongxing News that many people suffered injuries and even lost their lives after attempting the photo trick.
Image credits: travel.sina,com.cn (Not the actual photo)
The tour guide recommended that those who want to take photos should board Calypso, a slow train designed especially for that purpose.
After the incident, the woman was rushed to Haputale Regional Hospital and then transferred to two other hospitals for special care.
In February, a 53-year-old Russian tourist in Sri Lanka lost her life when she tried to take a selfie while hanging from a train's footboard on the Podi Menike rail line. She reportedly hit a rock and fell off the train.
The woman was rushed to the hospital after slamming her head into a tunnel wall
Image credits: travel.sina.com.cn
Last December, another Chinese tourist in Sri Lanka was struck by tree branches and fell from a moving train after she hung her whole upper body out for videos.
The woman suffered minor injuries.
The DailyMirror reported in the same month that an Iranian woman sustained critical head injuries after leaning out of a train door and hitting a tunnel while attempting to take a selfie near Ohiya and Idalgashinna.
The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka issued a warning for tourists to avoid leaning out of trains
Image credits: 163.com
The latest incident ignited a discussion on travel safety, with people warning about the risks of putting one's life in danger to follow trends or create eye-catching content for social media.
"I once tried to lean out of a moving train for a once-in-a-lifetime shot, but now I think of that moment, I feel scared," one netizen shared. "What do we travel for? A photo or real experience of the world?"
Image credits: 163.com (Not the actual photo)
"Do not copy them. Daredevil behavior might look good but is really dangerous," another said.
"Losing your life over a photo is not worth it," a third added, while a fourth lamented, "The insane stuff people do to get viral is unbelievable."
The photo stunt the woman was attempting is popular among tourists in Sri Lanka
Image credits: 163.com
Image credits: Yves Alarie/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
A separate user wrote: "Sadly, this would not deter others from doing it as they value their likes and engagement higher than their life."
Some described the incident as a "physical dose of common sense."
"Don't understand why some people are using the [crying laughing] emoji. I don't see the joke here. Are you some sadist?" someone else said in response to those calling the incident a case of "social Darwinism."
Another user penned: "The woman already paid a heavy price. Let's hope she recovers from her injuries soon and learns from her mistake."
Previous similar accidents in Sri Lanka included a Russian tourist losing her life in February 2025 and an Iranian tourist sustaining critical injuries in December 2024
Image credits: 163.com (Not the actual photo)
A 2018 study shared by the National Library of Medicine suggested that selfie-related fatalities had "become an emerging problem," with at least 259 people having lost their lives internationally between October 2011 and November 2017.
Falls from height, drowning, and transport were the most common circumstances for the tragedies— with the highest number of cases reported in India, followed by Russia, the US, and Pakistan.
Image credits: South China Morning Post
"'No selfie zones' areas should be declared across tourist areas especially places such as water bodies, mountain peaks, and over tall buildings to decrease the incidence of selfie-related [fatalities]," the authors of the study note.
Another study published by the Journal of Travel Medicine found that, between January 2008 and July 2021, an estimated 379 people had lost their lives while taking selfies, with the mean age of the deceased being 24.4 years.
The incident sparked discussions about people attempting dangerous photo stunts just for the sake of a few likes
