Colombian student Yurany Vanegas Peña, 24, dies after her limbs are torn off by a boat propeller while swimming with her family
- Yurany Vanegas was killed Friday when a boat ran over her while she was swimming in San Andrés, Colombia
- The 24-year-old student lost two of her limbs in the accident and was rushed to a local hospital, where she arrived without vital signs and was pronounced dead
- The captain of the small vessel told authorities he did not see Vanegas in the water and voluntarily turned himself in as part of the investigation
A student’s holiday in Colombia ended in tragedy when she was killed after her limbs were severed by a boat propeller.
Yurany Vanegas, 24, was swimming with her family at Haynes Key in San Andres when she was struck by a single-engine boat on Friday.
The Colombian navy said the captain of the small ship did not notice Vanegas was in the water when he ran her over.
Vanegas, a resident of the central city of Cajicá, lost two limbs in the accident.
The boat captain rushed to Clarence Lynd Newball Memorial Hospital, where she arrived without vital signs of blood loss, El Tiempo reported.
Yurany Vanegas died Friday on a beach in San Andrés, Colombia, when a boat propeller tore off two of her limbs. The boat captain told police he did not see the 24-year-old student in the water before he ran her over
The body of Yurany Vanegas lies underwater moments after she was struck and killed by a boat
San Andres Governor Everth Hawkins regretted the young woman’s death and said an investigation is underway.
The captain of the boat voluntarily reported himself to the police as part of the investigation.
Funeral and burial services for Vanegas were scheduled to take place Tuesday.
The fatal incident is the second since November 27, 2022, when Natalia Larrañaga, 26, was killed by a boat while swimming in San Andres.
Larrañaga, who was visiting from the southwestern city of Cali, had both of her legs properly severed by the boat and died in a hospital the next morning.
A similar accident occurred when Costa Rican tourist Joan López, 21, was struck by a propeller in Cartagena on August 20, although he was lucky to survive.
Yurany Vanegas was rushed to a local hospital by the captain of the boat that ran her over. The 24-year-old had no vital signs when she arrived at the medical facility and was pronounced dead
The boat involved in the fatal accident that killed 24-year-old Yurany Vanegas in San Andrés, Colombia
López tried to climb back into the boat when the captain turned on the engine without seeing López.
He suffered lacerations to the abdomen and genital area and was taken to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.
Governor Hawkins called on Department Congress members to put aside their own interests and pass legislation that will prevent similar incidents in San Andres.
Hawkins is trying to limit a specific section of beach to swimmers only and ban boats from sailing in the area.
“This is a situation that concerns us and draws our attention to the fact that anarchy must end and order must prevail in order to provide good tourism services,” Hawkins said. ‘It has been of no use to us to want to be a tourist showcase, the (Colombian Travel and Tourism Association) has been of no use to us to be a desired destination, to have a reduction in the price of fuel to pursue, to look for air connectivity, so that we don’t understand what we need as service providers.’