Beautician, 39, falls 170ft to her death from clifftop after climbing over a barrier to take a selfie during holiday to Georgia

A beautician plunged 170ft to her death as she took a selfie from a clifftop panoramic viewing platform.

Inessa Polenko, 39, climbed over a barrier then stumbled, falling onto a beach below, according to eyewitnesses.

Paramedics were quickly at the scene but she died in hospital after plunging from the Gagry viewing point in scenic Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia. The viewing point overlooks the Black Sea.

A keen Instagrammer with 9,000 followers, the Russian woman regularly posted selfies from around the world.

She had previously posted pictures from Dubai, Egypt and Crimea.

Inessa Polenko (pictured), 39, climbed over a barrier then stumbled, falling onto a beach below, according to eyewitnesses

A keen Instagrammer with 9,000 followers, the Russian woman regularly posted selfies from around the world

Paramedics were quickly at the scene but she died in hospital after plunging from the Gagry viewing point (pictured after the fall) in scenic Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia

She had previously posted pictures from Dubai , Egypt and Crimea 

The popular beautician had clients mainly in Moscow and major Russian resort Sochi, where she lived.

Her funeral will be held in Sochi today. An investigation is underway into the circumstances of her death.

This comes as new research suggested that taking selfies should be considered a 'public health problem'.

Academics in Australia analysed scientific papers and media reports on injuries or deaths from selfies worldwide since 2008.

They found nearly 400 had been reported over the 13 years considered in the study.

Victims were most likely to be female tourists in their early 20s, while falling and drowning while taking a photo the leading two causes of death.

The popular beautician had clients mainly in Moscow and major Russian resort Sochi, where she lived

She often shared snaps of herself on holiday, like above in the mountains

Her funeral will be held in Sochi today. An investigation is underway into the circumstances of her death

Researchers said the public must be made aware of the risks posed by selfies - with an estimated 92million snapped globally every day - and urged social media apps to install software to warn people of the dangers as they go to take a selfie.

Dr Samuel Cornell, a risk expert at the University of New South Wales, Australia, and others wrote in the paper: 'The selfie-related incident phenomenon should be viewed as a public health problem that requires a public health response.

'To date, little attention has been paid to averting selfie-related incidents through behavior change methodologies or direct messaging to users through apps.

'Although previous research has recommended "no selfie zones", barriers and signage as ways to prevent selfie incidents, our results suggest this may not be enough.

'It may be prudent to also engage in direct safety messaging to social media users.'