Four of a family lost their lives while trying to take a selfie on the dam reservoir at southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

The dead were among a group of six who held hands and stood in waist deep water near Pambar dam to take a selfie before one of them slipped, pulling the others.

The woman’s husband was able to save his sister but the others drowned.

India accounted for about half of the 259 reported fatalities between 2011 and 2017, according to a study by the US National Library of Medicine.

The three entered the water together with three teenage siblings when one of them, a boy aged 14, slipped and dragged his two sisters aged 18 and 19 with him, along with the newly married woman and the bridegroom’s sister.

The sister was pulled to safety by her brother but the other four disappeared under the water. Police said the bodies were later recovered and that post-mortem examinations would be carried out.

It was the latest in a series of tragedies linked to selfies in India. Experts have warned that people are taking unnecessary risks to impress their family and friends on social media.