Dangerous stunts by two Turkish influencers stir controversy

ISTANBUL

In a bid to get more likes on their social media accounts, two Turkish influencers performed extraordinary stunts in which one was buried alive for six hours in a specially designed coffin while the other jumped off a bridge to land on a flybridge.

The stunt performed by 25-year-old YouTuber Yunus Emre Özer received mixed reactions, stirring a debate over the extent social media influencers can go to for getting likes.

Özer, who previously jumped on a moving bus and a metro bus from bridges, jumped on a floating flybridge from Istanbul’s iconic Galata Bridge on Aug. 31.

According to the footage broadcasted on YouTube, the influencer first climbed up the fences of the bridge and then suddenly jumped off of it.

People on the bridge, who did not see a boat passing by, watched him in panic, thinking that he committed suicide.

Özer angered bystanders after waving to them while laughing on the top of the flybridge.

In the footage, an official from the boat is seen opening the boat’s roof’s security window to understand what was going on, shouting at the YouTube in anger.

The second influencer was Muhammed Bahçecik, known for “divine videos.”

The YouTuber was buried alive in a rural region in Istanbul’s Tuzla district with a special coffin made of glass.

He stayed for six hours in the glass coffin, which had a pipe out on the ground, helping him get oxygen down the soil.

“I paid 20,000 Turkish Liras [$2400] for this special coffin to ensure my security,” he said.

Firstly, a hole the size of the coffin was dug in front of the cameras. Then Bahçecik got inside the coffin with cameras, which took shots of him underground, and an oxygen tube.

Due to the funeral scenario, a man prayed for “the soul” of the influencer, and a headstone with his name was erected. During the video shoot, health experts and an ambulance waited near the burial site.

“I did not panic. I understood the value of living with this experience. I am fine. I am just cold,” he said to the cameras just after coming out of “his grave.”

Social media users stormed both influencers with comments, such as, “What else are you going to do more to get likes,” “This one happened, too,” and “Things go from bad to worse.”