Story By: Jonathan Macias, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

This photo shows three girls precariously perched on the edge of a cliff while they reportedly take snaps of each other before being released by the police as a warning to other reckless selfie takers.

The Local Police in the north-western Spanish city of Gijon shared the photo with the message: “Do you really think this is a safe place to take selfies? This afternoon we encountered a group of young people who did not see the obvious risk.”

According to a study by the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 259 have lost their lives between 2011 and 2017 while taking selfies in dangerous places around the world.

The incident with the unnamed three girls, who local media described as teenagers, was taken at a cliff known as El Cerro de Santa Catalina near Gijon in the Spanish autonomous community of Asturias.

Reports said that the teens had to scale a fence and navigate a treacherous 20-metre (66-foot) high path to reach the cliff ledge they posed on.

Several nature hikers witnessed the reckless photo shoot and immediately informed the police.

Officers on the scene only needed several minutes to make sure the girls were safe and explain to them the recklessness of their actions, according to local media.

Reports also said that local residents have repeatedly asked for the dangerous viewpoint to be closed to the public.

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