Dying to get the photo: Five selfies that ended tragically

The initially playful act of snapping photos of oneself for social media has led to the grim deaths of two individuals just this week.

The announcement of “selfie” as the Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year in 2013, cemented its place in society.

Everyone from US President Barack Obama to self-proclaimed selfie-guru Kim Kardashian has since only helped exponentially increase its popularity.

But in this widely encouraged culture of narcissism, individuals have now cultivated a dangerous habit of risk-taking for photographs in the hope of achieving popularity on social media.

Whether it is posing with weaponry or hanging off a skyscraper, there are no longer limits to the lengths taken to snap the perfect selfie.

In the accepted practice of “doing it for the ‘gram,” here are five individuals around the world whose risk-taking went too far.