Five drown in Indonesian selfie accident

The collapsed jetty on Lake Kandi in Padang, West Sumatra where five tourists died as they tried to take pictures together. PHOTO: AFP

PADANG, INDONESIA (AFP) - Five members of an Indonesian family drowned when a dock where they were taking a selfie collapsed, police said on Thursday (May 27), just weeks after a similar fatal accident.

The family of 14 were at picturesque Kandi Lake in West Sumatra when they gathered on the wooden structure to take a group photo, but their combined weight brought it down, police said.

A 17-year-old was among the five who drowned while the rest of the family survived Wednesday's accident.

"They were taking a selfie on the dock when the incident happened," said local police chief Junaidi Nur, who added that it was after closing hours so no security was at the site.

A rescue effort later retrieved the bodies and an investigation was being carried out, Nur said.

This month, nine tourists drowned after their overloaded boat capsized when they were attempting a selfie in a reservoir on Java island.

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