Muscat: Two Sri Lankan girls drowned on Saturday evening after attempting to take a selfie next to the Ain Jarziz water spring in Salalah.
The girls, who were on a family picnic, were posing for the picture when one of them slipped.
“She grabbed the hand of the other girl who fell down with her in the water,” an official with the Royal Oman Police (ROP) told Gulf News.
Zainab Tuaurashed, a student at a local private school, was the girl who lost her footing first and in her desperation she held on to Ruwan Delsara Herath Samarweera, 13, who attended the Indian School Salalah.
The parents of the girls called rescue teams, who set out straight away. But, Ain Jarziz is about 15km from Salalah and, by the time the rescue teams arrived, the girls, both of whom could not swim, had already drowned.
They were declared dead on arrival at Sultan Qaboos Hospital in Salalah.
The tragedy was the first selfie-related death in the country, according to the ROP.
Ain Jarziz is a tourist spot that is popular among people heading out for picnics.
Safety experts have called for ‘No Selfie Zones’ to be introduced around rugged tourist spots after the tragic incident, but authorities say there are no such plans yet.
Drowning cases are common in Oman, as people continue to disregard warnings from authorities against swimming in choppy seas and areas prone to flash floods. Children make up the majority of drowning victims as they are often dragged away by strong currents.
The Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulances (Pacda) has regularly organises campaigns to warn parents against allowing their children to take to the water unsupervised and highlighting acts that amount to negligent behaviour.
Over 10 children have drowned in Oman in the past year, according to Pacda figures.
In all, 113 drowning cases were recorded in 2015, compared to 150 cases in 2014.
