Russian tourist swept to her death by massive wave at Thai island viewpoint
Video circulating on social media and shared by local news outlets showed Belyatskaya struggling against the rough currents.
Lamai beach on Koh Samui island in the southern Thai province of Surat Thani (Photo by LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images)
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) — A Russian tourist has died in Thailand after a huge wave swept her off a rock at a popular cliffside viewpoint, according to authorities in the Southeast Asian country.
Kamilla Belyatskaya, 24, was last seen by witnesses Friday as she sat on a yoga mat at the coastal beauty spot, before she was engulfed by the wave and dragged out to sea, said police on the island of Koh Samui.
Video circulating on social media and shared by local news outlets showed Belyatskaya struggling against the rough currents. Witnesses said she was seen in the water for about 15 minutes and then disappeared, local police told CNN on Tuesday.
A foreign male tourist who jumped into the water after Belyatskaya was unable to save her, police added.
The next day, Belyatskaya’s body was found at a beach around a kilometer (0.6 miles) from the popular Lad Koh lookout, police said.
The circumstances surrounding the moments leading to her death remain unclear.
Police said CCTV footage showed Belyatskaya get out of a car at the viewpoint, a scenic site with panoramic views of the Gulf of Thailand. The footage showed her take a pink yoga mat from the vehicle’s trunk before walking to the cliffside, police added.
Warnings were in force about the danger of strong waves at the site at the time, police said.
Thailand’s popularity with Russian tourists has boomed since Moscow banned many European carriers from using its airspace over Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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