A surfer has died after being impaled by a swordfish in a freak accident in Indonesia.
Giulia Manfrini, 36, was riding a wave when the swordfish jumped out of the water and impaled her through the chest, according to witnesses.
The incident took place on Masokut Island, a favourite surf spot off the west coast of Sumatra. Fellow surfers who were with Manfrini tried to save her by administering aid, according to local news reports.
She reportedly had a five-centimetre deep stab wound on the left side of her chest. She was then rushed to a local health clinic but could not be saved.
As news of her death reached Italy, her Instagram account was flooded with tributes.
“The sea, that gave you so much, has taken your life. Rest in peace,” wrote one user, while another commented, “I just heard the dreadful news. RIP.”
Manfrini was a law graduate from the town of Venaria Reale, where her father was a lawyer and her mother a GP. Fabio Giulivi, the mayor of her home town, said: “The whole community offers its condolences to her family.
“The news of her death has shocked us all, we feel helpless in the face of a tragedy that cut short her life so prematurely.”
Manfrini graduated in law but had initially worked as a snowboarding coach. She then learned surfing and moved to Bali, where she worked as a surfing instructor.
Officials planned to transport her body by boat to the port of Padang from where it would be repatriated to Italy.
Human fatalities caused by swordfish are extremely rare. These fish are found in temperate and tropical waters worldwide, with adults capable of growing up to 15 feet and weighing around 450kg. Swordfish have wide, flat, and pointed bills with sharp edges that are about one-third their body length. The bills are used to slash and stun prey.
