Tourist killed by boat propeller

KURABURI: A 40-year-old German tourist was killed by a boat propeller while snorkeling off Koh Tachai, Phang Nga Province, on Thursday. Pol Lt Col Narongyot Aunhabandit, deputy superintendent of Kuraburi District Police Station, told the Gazette that the tourist, whom he named as Beatrix Hannelore Miczuga, was on holiday in Phuket when she and friends decided to take a day trip to Koh Tachai, near the Similans. The accident happened at around 3 pm after the boat had stopped at the island to allow the passengers to swim. “Based on what we have gathered from the people on the boat, she was a good swimmer. It seems that it happened when she came up for air,” said Lt Col Narongyot. “But we don’t understand why she came up right under the propeller.” Ms Miczuga died instantly at the scene of the accident. Police officers found gashes, unmistakably from a propeller, on her head, face and shoulders. An autopsy at the Bangkok Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town confirmed the cause of death.