NEW DELHI, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Three young men were crushed to death by a speeding train Tuesday while taking selfies in southern Indian state of Karnataka, police said.

The boys were crushed on railway track in Bidadi town, around 30 km south of Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka.

"Today three college students were crushed by a train while they were busy taking selfies on the railway track," a police official said. "We are investigating the matter as to how they ignored the fast approaching train behind them."

Last month, a 17-year-old student in the state died due to drowning while his friends were busy taking selfies inside a pond. The photographs (selfies) taken by his friends later on showed him downing, while rest of them struck poses for the camera.

Selfie craze has taken several lives in India.

Last year piqued by increasing number of deaths in India in the process of taking selfies at accident-prone locations in tourist destinations, India's federal government issued directions to its states asking them to take steps to ensure that tourist attractions are selfie-safe.

Prior to that, authorities declared 16 no-selfie zones around India's financial capital, Mumbai city, after several deaths of people were reported while taking their own pictures.

The move was aimed at discouraging people from putting themselves at risk while taking their own pictures popularly known as selfies.