Two people taking selfies fall from city walls

DIYARBAKIR

In just the span of a week, two people have sustained several injuries after falling from the southeastern province of Diyarbakır's historic walls while attempting to take a selfie, raising concerns over the need for stricter measures around the walls that have become a selfie hotspot in the region.

The Diyarbakir city walls, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and about 10 to 12 meters in height and 3 meters in width, have recently become a place of interest for those with a passion for taking selfies.

Despite the government implementing a ban on climbing these walls due to the dangers, some people still continue to climb them to take pictures.

Stating that the condition of the two people who slipped and fell from the walls during the past week is stable at the moment, Dr. Özkan Yükselmiş warned that falling from a height can cause great trauma and added, "It is also a cause of death. Head traumas and bone fractures can occur as a result of falling from a height. Serious spinal cord injuries can also occur."

"Unfortunately, we can see young patients slipping and falling from a height in the high landscape shots taken on the city wall. It is very sad to go through such trouble for the sake of a photograph," he said.

Pointing out that falling from a height can also cause lifelong disability, Yükselmiş said, "As a result of falls from high places such as walls or construction sites, we see irreversible disabilities and problems that result in death.”

"My advice to working people is, of course, to follow the rules of occupational safety, but my advice to my young brothers and sisters who will get into such trouble just for social media sharing or for adventure just to take a landscape photo, is to take precautions or not to do this at all," Yükselmiş added.

"In particular, administrators responsible for this issue should take the necessary precautions in areas such as city walls or in places with abandoned landscapes,” he stressed.