Russian tourist passes away in Phuket

A Russian tourist passed away yesterday after he fell and struck his head on a rented jet-ski he was riding in strong surf at Patong Beach.

He rented a jet-ski at about midday, said Maj Weerapong Rakito of the Patong Police. He fell and hit his head on the jet-ski while riding large waves. Patong beach guards rushed into the surf and recovered Mr. Muryndin, who was unconscious, Maj Weerapong told the Phuket Gazette.

He was rushed to Patong Hospital and then transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town, but he was pronounced dead on arrival there, Maj Weerapong said.

The fatal accident today follows a renter who was riding one of the vehicle’s jet-ski zones at Surin Beach and came dangerously close to hitting a surfer yesterday. Just last week, a tourist escaped serious injury after she was run over by a vehicle towing a jet-ski trailer on Kata Beach (story here). Fortunately, she sustained only minor cuts and bruises.

After learning of the near-miss at Surin Beach, Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut vowed to call together jet-ski operators in the area to ensure that no such incident would occur again. Mr. Phuripat also reiterated one of the rules that were put into place last week, when he announced that jet-skis would, in fact, be allowed to operate in designated areas of the beach, separate from swimming zones.

If operators cannot follow the rules and maintain safety for everyone, we will have no choice but to cancel their permits to be on the beach, he said. Jet-ski and swimming zones must be separated for safety reasons.

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