TikTok star killed after falling down waterfall while taking selfie for followers

A teenage TikTok star died after slipping on wet rocks and plummeting to her death while attempting to take a selfie with a friend.  Moe Sa Nay, 14, was posing for pictures with her friend to post to her 150,000 social media followers when she slipped on rocks at the Sinywa Waterfall in the town of Paung, in Mon state, Myanmar, on July 22. The youngster was caught in the fast-flowing white waters cascading down the rock face and pinned between two large boulders, according to local media outlets.

She was unable to free herself and drowned while struggling against the strong current. Rescuers were unable to reach the scene before she died, and had trouble the following morning when they tried to remove her body, which was still crammed between the rocks.

                                              Moe Sa Nay died while taking a selfie at the waterfall

Dramatic footage shows volunteers and firefighters battling to dislodge the lifeless girl’s body from the rocks on July 23, and were eventually forced to use ropes to pull her free. They tied her hands with rope and yanked her out of the narrow gap. Rescue workers said she was one of two girls who slipped, with the other, her friend, having escaped with minor injuries.

Rescue worker Mon Zaw said: “The one who slipped reached the bottom, but died after getting stuck between the rocks. She died because she couldn’t get out. They tried to rescue her but couldn’t pull her out. Then the aid organizations and officials came.” After retrieving Moe’s body, rescue workers took her to the Paung Township General Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

                           Rescue workers struggled to retrieve Moe’s body the following day

Snywa waterfall is a popular destination in Mon state, and, according to local authorities, is visited by tens of thousands of people during the summer. Locals typically use the destination as a bathing and swimming spot, and outsiders often visit during the holiday season.

While most visits go without incident, the two young girls who fell at Sinywa were not the first to have done so, with tow 19-year-old women dying in a similar incident in 2019 at the Taw Naw Waterfall waterfall in Kayin, southeast Myanmar. The Global New Light of Myanmar reported that the two were taking photos at the top of the waterfall when they fell 60 metres to their deaths.