Australian woman dies in jet ski crash on Phuket holiday
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A 20-year-old Australian woman was killed in a jet ski crash after she collided with her partner off the coast of Thailand’s Phuket island, police said Monday.
The woman, identified as Emily Collie, was brought to the shore of Kata beach after the accident on Sunday but was pronounced dead soon after.
Local media reported that Collie suffered severe neck and shoulder injuries. In a police statement, her partner said the glaring sun had blinded their vision.
“People on the beach tried to rescue her and send her to a hospital,” said Patiwat Yodkwan, a senior police officer on the island, adding that her partner was not seriously injured in the accident.
Police were waiting for an autopsy to determine exactly how the woman died, he said.
“We are still investigating the cause of the accident. The boyfriend is in mourning and crying, so we cannot ask him much.”
Tourism is a crucial pillar of Thailand’s economy, but accidents involving travellers are common amid lax and often weakly-enforced safety regulations.
Yet the dire safety record has not deterred travellers from visiting, with Thailand welcoming a record 32 million tourists in 2016.
