Russian woman mistakenly shoots herself while taking selfie

A 21-year-old Russian woman has mistakenly shot herself in the head with a pistol while posing for a selfie.

According to a number of Russian news agencies, the young woman found a 9mm handgun left behind by a security guard at her Moscow office and decided to pose for a photograph holding it, a police spokesman told Interfax news agency.

While taking a selfie with one hand, she accidentally pressed the gun's trigger, shooting herself in the temple at close range, led to the woman being hospitalized in a Moscow clinic.

The incident took place on Thursday but the police confirmed it on Friday.

The victim was in a "serious condition" on Friday, a spokeswoman for Moscow's Sklifosovsky hospital told RIA Novosti state news agency.

Police are investigating the incident, a city police spokesman told RIA Novosti.

The trend for posting selfie photographs online led by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian has prompted risky behaviour worldwide.

A survey this month found 17% of Americans had taken a selfie while driving.

US investigators in February said a pilot's repeated snapping of selfie photos caused a small plane to crash, killing both people on board.