An Australian woman was killed in a tragic jet ski accident on Monday afternoon after a collision with another ski that was driven by her husband off Kata beach in Phuket, Thailand.
The Guardian reported that the woman has been identified as Emily Jayne Collie while her partner goes by the name of Tommy Keating. The accident took place when the couple was riding the rented jet skis near Koh Pu island off Kata.
According to ABC News, Keating told the local sea rescue authorities that sunlight reflection was so strong off the sea that it made it difficult for him to see his wife's jet ski, leading to the tragic death. However, the Thai police are still investigating the matter to find out the exact cause of the jet ski crash.
A spokesman for Karon fire and rescue department said an autopsy would be conducted to determine the cause of woman's death.
"People on the beach tried to rescue her and send her to hospital," Patiwat Yodkwan, a senior police officer on the island, told AFP. He added that Keating was not seriously injured in the accident.
In the past two decades, jet ski accidents have become quite frequent in Phuket. Reports said Singaporeans have been among those who have been injured or lost their lives in jet ski accidents in the last decade. There have been repeated calls to ban jet-skiing in Phuket, but the sport still continues to be one of the major attractions to the tourist on the island.
In 2010, a 20-year-old Singaporean boy named Loh Ying Jie died in a jet ski accident off Patong Beach. Last year, another 16-year-old Finnish tourist was injured in a jet ski accident with his father on Kata Beach.
