Man, who fell into river taking selfie, returns home after 10 days

SUKKUR: A man, who had reportedly drowned in River Indus while taking a selfie some 10 days ago, returned to his home on Saturday, his brother confirmed.

Asif Jamil, a resident of Christian Colony, was visiting the Lansdowne Bridge with his wife for a picnic on January 4. He reportedly fell into River Indus while attempting to take a selfie.

Rescue services searched for the man, but suspended operation after two days.

The manmade Lansdowne Bridge which connects Sukkur and Rohri, is a 19th Century engineering marvel, and often cause for awe in the region.

Jamil, however, returned to his home on Saturday morning. The man says he fell into river while taking a selfie and found himself in a jungle upon regaining consciousness.

Although his brother contradicted the claims saying that Asif staged entire drama for he was heavily indebted.

His wife, however, said that she was glad to have her husband back.

Selfie-related accidents are not unheard of. In August this year, an 11-year-old and her parents drowned in Kunhar River as they tried to take a selfie.

So-called "selfie accidents or selfie deaths" have surged with the global rise of smartphones.

On July 5, Peruvian police recovered the body of a South Korean tourist under a waterfall in the Amazon jungle, days after he fell in while taking a photo of himself.

Earlier, a 51-year-old German tourist plunged 200 metres (650 feet) to his death while posing for a photo on a mountainside at Peru’s top archaeological site, Machu Picchu.