Tragedy for a tourist couple from Switzerland. Their summer vacation on the island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea ended abruptly with the death of the husband. He was killed by the propeller of the boat the couple had rented.
According to Greek media, the 35-year-old man fell off the boat into the sea and the engine propeller injured him fatally.
His wife called immediately for help, another boat rushed to the spot.
The man was taken ashore and transferred to the General Hospital of Corfu with an ambulance. Doctors could only confirm his death.
The Central Port Authority of Corfu is investigating the case.
Among others is being investigated whether the wife was driving the boat and why the man fell into the sea.
UPDATES
Some media modified the age of the Swiss national from ’35’ to ’28’ years old.
It looks as if the couple was handling with the newly rented boat when the accident happened. According to information that has no been confirmed officially, the wife was holding the helm and she waggled with the gear shift that abruptly accelerated the boat speed. The man was at the back of the boat, lost his balance due to the sudden movement and fell into the water.
The propeller fatally injured him. Some media report that the man was decapitated.
The woman is in hospital in shock.
Although investigation continues, the Port Authorities of Corfu seem convinced that it was an accident.
“Reason for the family tragedy was that the safety guidelines are not kept when it comes to renting such a boat,” Proto Thema reports. ANT1 TV said that no license is need to drive such a boat.
The couple had rented the boat in Ermones area.
The type of boat has not been revealed so far.
A simple inflatable boat has just an engine in the back.
Accident with Tourists
This year I read of lot of often fatally ending accidents with tourists.
A man drowned in a hotel pool after going for a swim right after lunch.
Last week, a 71-year-old Israeli tourist died the moment he fell into the pool.
Recently there was also the story of a 13-year-old child that collapsed and died while traveling on a local boat.
Beginning of summer, a couple of senior German tourists drowned in the sea. Authorities believe that they were drowned as they tried to help each other when bad weather conditions in the area.
A lifeguard from Crete reported how he rescued a 3-member family of Austrian tourists last week. Under the influence of alcohol, the drunken father grabbed a sea float mattress and swam to open sea ignoring the rough sea warning signal. The swimmer was unable to return, his wife and even the 8-year-old daughter ‘rushed’ to help him. The tragedy was avoided due to the lifeguard intervention who managed to bring all three into safety together with two other tourists.
A lots of tourists this year, a lot of accidents and deaths.
Be careful, guys! The sun is fun, the crystal water is inviting, but
- keep the safety guidelines
- do not ignore weather warnings
- take your medicine, if you have to, and follow doctor’s advice
- beware of the waves and the rough sea.
Keep in mind that you swim in unknown waters that may have strong currents you do not see but they can carry you away.
Your life can be at risk, just one meter away from the shore. Or just inside the calm waters of a swimming pool.
That’s very sad. I don’t know what kind of boat this was but, as a sailor, I would encourage anyone using a boat with an outboard engine to wear the kill cord. These are attached to you and the engine and should you fall overboard the kill cord pulls out of the engine and stops it immediately. IF A KILL CORD IS AVAILABLE ALWAYS WEAR IT.
I didn’t know there was such cord.