22 October 2024,   17:36
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Italian surfer dies after being impaled by fish off the coast of Indonesia

An Italian surfer has died after being impaled in the chest by a sharp-billed fish while surfing off Indonesia’s West Sumatra coast, writes CNN.

Giulia Manfrini, 36, had been surfing in the Mentawai Islands, a remote island chain when she suffered a “freak accident,” said her business partner James Colston.

“Unfortunately, even with the brave efforts of her partner, local resort staff and doctors, Giulia couldn’t be saved,” Colston said Sunday in a statement on Instagram. “We believe she died doing what she loved, in a place that she loved”.

Lahmudin Siregar, acting head of the Mentawai Islands disaster management agency, said Manfrini was struck in the chest by a swordfish while surfing off the southern part of Siberut Island around 9:30 a.m. local time, according to state-news agency Antara.

According to a medical report, she suffered a stab wound to the upper left chest with a depth of about five centimeters, the agency said.

Together Colston and Manfrini founded travel company AWAVE Travel, which organized trips to popular surfing destinations, including the Mentawai Islands.

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