A vacation in paradise turned tragic for 25-year-old Madaline Jayne Cole. The British tourist was injured in a fatal accident when she was struck by a boat propeller while snorkeling.
Cole had been snorkeling with three friends in Perhentian Island when she and Australian Simon Rogers were hit by a speedboat on Monday. She
suffered severe wounds to her legs, torso and buttocks.
Her father, Bob Cole, was devastated by her death. “She knew the risks of diving but was always very professional in her preparations and highly willed in what she did”.
“She had just qualified as a diving instructor and was looking forward to a wonderful carer exploring the world’s seas”.
Rogers was injured in the stomach and legs and was taken to hospital in Besut. His injuries are “serious” but not thought to be life-threatening.
The police said that the boat operator Mohammed Azwan Mohamad hit the couple as he was on the way to pick up tourists. Besut police chief Superintendent Kamarudding Mohammed Zakaria said the two victims and two other friends were diving outside the safety zone and were not wearing safety jackets. “They were accidentally hit by Mohammed Azwan.”
Azwan stopped and tried to rescue the couple, but Cole succumbed to her injuries and died before the boat reached the shore.
Source: Telegraph
