A woman from the UK has tragically died in a jet ski accident at a holiday resort on the Costa del Sol in Spain where she was allegedly hit by a speedboat driven by a friend
A British woman has been killed in a jet ski accident while on holiday on the Costa del Sol.
The 43-year-old is believed to have died instantly after being hit by a speedboat, which police sources said today was being driven by a friend who allegedly failed a breath test after the fatal crash. The incident happened around 7.25pm on Saturday at a beach called Los Toros just west of the popular holiday resort of Estepona.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Malaga said: “I can confirm the dead woman is a 43-year-old British national. She was a passenger on the jet ski.” And he also confirmed that the driver of the speed boat had been arrested by police on suspicion of manslaughter.
It was not immediately clear this morning when the unnamed detainee will appear before an investigating magistrate. The court hearing, where the judge will have to decide whether to remand the suspect in custody or release him on bail pending an ongoing criminal probe, will take place behind closed doors.
A well-placed police source earlier said: “The jet ski was being driven by her partner. They appear to have been hit from behind by a friend at the wheel of a speedboat. He failed a breath test after the collision so he’s likely to have been arrested but that is not something I can confirm at this stage.”
The woman killed is believed to have been on holiday in the area. Her partner was also British and aged in his late 40s but the nationality of the friend who was arrested has not yet been revealed, although it has been stated that he wasn’t British.
A spokesman for Manilva Town Hall confirmed local town hall-employed police had also attended the scene along with Civil Guard officers. But he said details about any arrests and the cause of the collision would have to be given by the Civil Guard.
A Manilva town hall source said: “I know the dead woman was English and 43 years of age and I’ve been told that the people on the jet ski and the speedboat were family and friends but that’s all the information I have.”
A spokesman for a regional government-run emergency response coordination centre, speaking before police confirmed the nationality of the victim, told how emergency services rushed to the crash including coastguards with a boat.
He said: “A woman died late on Saturday in the town of Manilva in Malaga in a collision between a jet ski and a motorboat. The nautical accident occurred on Los Toros beach at around 19:25 hours, when several witnesses alerted the coordination centre of a collision between a jet ski and a speedboat.
“The Civil Guard went to the scene with coastguards who mobilised a boat called Gadir and emergency medical responders. According to sources from emergency services, a woman, whose identity has not been revealed, died in the incident.”