Woman dies from jet engine blast in St Maarten

PHILIPSBURG, St Maarten, (CMC) – A 57 year old woman from New Zealand was killed after the blast from a powerful jet engine knocked her to the ground at the Princess Juliana International Airport .

The local police reported that on Wednesday, the woman was at the airport, which is just metres from the beach , when the force of the engines on Boeing 737 jet threw her backwards causing serious injury.

She was rushed to hospital, but later died.

In a statement, the police said they visit the area daily to discourage tourists from clinging to the runway fence.

“The landing and taking off of all types and size of aircraft at the international airport of St Maarten is well known worldwide as major tourist attraction,” police said.

“Many tourists come to the island to experience the thrills of the landing of approaching aircraft flying low above their heads and the holding on to the airport fence and standing in the jet blast of large aircraft taking off. Doing this is, however, extremely dangerous.”

The director of tourism on the island, Rolando Brison, in an interview with the New Zealand Herald said he spoke to the woman’s family.

“I met with the family of the deceased this evening and while they recognised that what they did was wrong, through the clearly visible danger signs, they regret that risk they took turned out in the worst possible way,” he said.

The landing strip on the Dutch overseas territory is notorious as planes fly extremely low over packed tourist beaches.

Many holiday makers flock to the site seeking to feel the blast of the jet engines as they land and take off.

Despite prominent warning signs in the area instructing beachgoers not to stand near the fence because of the dangerous air blasts – the warning is often ignored.