Tourist tragically dies while leaning head out of train for selfie in gruesome incident

A Russian tourist has died in Sri Lanka after leaning out of a train carriage to take a selfie.

It's no secret that travellers will go to extreme lengths to get the perfect snapshots of their holidays to share on social media, and several tourists will go to dangerous lengths to get the perfect photo—sometimes with deadly consequences.

This is what happened to 53-year-old Olga Perminova, from Saratov, Russia, after she leaned out of a train carriage to take a photo on Sri Lanka's famous Podi Menike train route.

53-year-old Olga Perminova died after falling from a train in Sri Lanka (East2West)

Perminova had been travelling towards the town of Ella on a route which has become increasingly popular with tourists due to its picturesque scenery and passes over the famous Nine Arches Bridge.

While passing through luscious green forests and mountainous terrain, Perminova decided to document the moment and leaned backwards out of the carriage while holding handrails.

This is where tragedy would occur as Perminova collided with a rock, fell from the carriage and suffered severe head injuries, later dying in hospital.

The grandmother had been travelling along the Podi Menike train route when and decided to lean out of the carriage for a selfie (East2West)

A report from local authorities explained that Perminova, a grandmother from the Moscow region, had died after falling from the train while 'attempting to take a selfie' between the Badulla and Hali Ela railway stations.

"The woman knocked against a rock, fell off the train and sustained severe injuries," the report added.

Photos from Perminova's final moments show her wearing a pink dress and learning out of the carriage while smiling.

Her body will now be repatriated back to the Eastern European country.

Perminova's tragic death is one of many cautionary tales of tourists dying at holiday hotspots.

According to statistics published by Slate, there was 379 selfie-related deaths between the period of 2008 and 2021.

Perminova moments before she hit a rock, fell from the train and suffered severe head injuries (East2West)

Recent fatalities include the 35-year-old Tobias Fischer, who died while hiking in in the Taganga district of northern Colombia last October.

According to MailOnline, he had tried to take a selfie near a viewpoint when he lost his footing and fell into a nearby ravine.

His death was later reported as an accident.

Meanwhile, Czech athlete Natalie Stichova fell to her death just two months earlier near a castle in Bavaria, Germany which is popular with tourists.

The 23-year-old had reportedly fallen 80 metres down the Tegelberg Mountain in August 2024 after attempting to take a photo of Neuschwanstein Castle, which served as the inspiration for Walt Disney classic Sleeping Beauty.