British woman is hit by a speedboat propeller and killed while swimming by the beach in Corfu
- The woman was hit by a speedboat while swimming off the Greek holiday island
- The 60-year-old’s body was found by other bathers and taken to a Corfu hospital
- Swimmers said she had suffered ‘serious injuries to the lower extremities’
A British woman was killed after being hit by a boat propeller off the coast of a Greek holiday island today.
The 60-year-old woman was hit by a speedboat while swimming off Corfu and her body was discovered by other bathers, local media says.
Swimmers said the woman had suffered ‘serious injuries to the lower extremities’ in the fatal accident off Avlaki beach.
The person steering the speedboat did not notice the woman in time and could not swerve out of the way to avoid hitting her, it is believed.
A British woman was killed after being hit by a boat propeller off Avlaki beach today (file photo) off the coast of the Greek holiday island of Corfu
The 60-year-old British woman was swimming off the coast of Corfu when a speedboat captain allegedly failed to spot her in time
There were thought to be numerous speedboats in the area and the local port authority is investigating the woman’s death.
The woman’s body pulled from the sea shortly before 10am and taken to Corfu General Hospital. An autopsy is expected tomorrow, according to I Efimerida.
The British woman’s name has not been revealed and it is not clear whether she was swimming alone or with others.
Some reports described her as a permanent resident of Corfu, but others said she was on holiday on the island.
UK tourists have been returning to Greece in recent weeks after travel restrictions were lifted.
Greece is one of the ‘travel corridor’ countries where tourists can go without having to quarantine for two weeks when they return to Britain.
However, an increase in coronavirus cases in recent weeks has pushed it closer to the threshold of 20 cases per 100,000 in a week at which the UK is likely to re-impose quarantine rules.
The current figure is 14.1, after nearly 1,500 new cases were reported in the last seven days.
Greece needs tourism to revive an economy still grappling with the aftermath of a depression that wiped out a quarter of its economy.
New local restrictions have been imposed in tourist hotspots such as Mykonos to curb the spread of the virus, including a midnight curfew for bars, restaurants and cafes and a ban on large gatherings.