Aussie killed in Malaysian jetski accident

[crz11n]

Taken from the NineMsn site:

 

 

Cruise company P&O has extended its sympathies to the family of a 20-year-old Victorian woman killed in a jet ski accident while holidaying on the liner Pacific Sky off Malaysia.

A statement from P&O Cruises Australia said the accident happened on Thursday afternoon at a beach near Penang, during Pacific Sky's scheduled stopover at the port as part of a seven-night cruise from Singapore.

Two other passengers and a crew member were also injured in the accident, which involved two jet skis.

P&O said the two women passengers, who are Australian, suffered minor injuries, while the crew member remained in a serious condition in a Malaysian hospital.

"We at P&O Cruises extend our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the passenger who has passed away," the statement said.

"We are cooperating with local authorities investigating the accident."

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said the Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur was making urgent inquiries and consular support staff have spoken to the family of the dead woman.

"The Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur is making inquiries," the spokesman said.

"The Malaysian High Commission in Canberra is also liaising with us and relatives of the dead woman and those injured," he said.

The spokesman said the two women who suffered minor injuries were on their way back to Australia.

©AAP 2006

[aussiedisneyfan]

Now the email I got from Keepcrusing makes more sense. She is on that cruise and asked if the ship had been in the news. I assumed she must have heard about the expose on the Star.

[aussiedisneyfan]

Spoke to Keepcrusing today. She said that P&O staff on the ship have been good. Keeping them informed of what happened and the Captain even had a minutes silence and said a prayer.

 

Here is another article from news.com.au

 

CURSED cruise ship the Pacific Sky has yet another death at sea, with an Australian woman killed while racing jetskis.

Kathryn Sheppard-Irwin, 20, was racing with two girlfriends and a crew member on two jetskis off Penang island, Malaysia, on Thursday when they collided.

 

She died from internal injuries after her heart was pierced by a rib.

Ms Sheppard-Irwin, from Victoria, and friends Natasha Sage and Rachel Dimieri had earlier boarded the ship in Singapore and were on a day trip to Monkey Beach on the northern tip of Penang.

Bystanders reported seeing the trio and a crew member racing one another 500m offshore about lunchtime on Thursday.

A post-mortem examination found Ms Sheppard-Irwin died from internal injuries. "The impact from the crash was so great one of her fractured ribs punctured her heart," a police spokesman said.

The crew member, Mexican national Carlos Gonzalos, 29, remains in hospital with serious injuries. He was riding pillion with Ms Sheppard-Irwin. Ms Dimieri and Ms Sage were treated at a hospital for minor injuries.

It is the latest tragedy to hit the P&O liner after the death of Dianne Brimble in a cabin after she was allegedly given a date rape drug. Eight months earlier, Sydney man Lorenzo Lombardo died of meningococcal disease, believed to have been contracted in the ship's bar.

A P&O spokesman yesterday extended the company and crew's sympathy to the family of Ms Sheppard-Irwin, but would not comment on the series of tragedies.

Ms Sheppard-Irwin's family said they were "deeply saddened by this tragedy". "Kathryn was a happy girl who loved life and had the world at her feet," they said.

"She was very excited about embarking on this trip of a lifetime with her closest friends. We are comforted by the fact she was having the time of her life. She was the kind of daughter any mother would wish for."

Police are continuing their investigations, but a spokesman for Tourism Penang said the jetski hire industry was unregulated.

"Normally it's just a guy who buys a few jetskis and hires them out. There's not a lot of regulation around it," the spokesman said.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said the Australian consul-general in Kuala Lumpur had travelled to Penang and was giving consular assistance to the two Australian survivors.

"We understand their injuries are not life threatening," he said. The Pacific Sky remained anchored at Penang last night, while investigations continued.

[cruiselover96]

It was a very sad night and next day, especially as the girls had been on the ship since the week before and because there weren't a lot of young adults you saw those that were on the ship quite a bit. They were a fun loving group having the time of their lives. Carlos was a wonderfully funny and friendly guy who worked at the tours desk. Hopefully he will make it. It wasn't looking too good for him on Friday.

 

The Captain was excellent, he kept the passengers informed which stopped all the speculation and gossip.

 

We met a few people who were there on the day (we were meant to be doing that tour but changed our minds at the last minute) and to say they were deeply traumatized is an understatement. The Captain was also very good with them as well. We saw him the night of the accident while we were waiting for 5 people who were "running behind" to begin our "Happy Hour Tour" and he was very distressed. It turned out that the 5 we were waiting for where the girls and another female who was there at the time, helping out.

 

It would be good to be able to find out how Carlos is doing but not too sure how.

 

Kerri

[LHM]

Hi Kerri, how are you? Yes I was wondering how Carlos was too - I agree he was such a nice fun loving guy. I didn't know the other girls too well but heard they were a lovely group of girls and were really enjoying themselves. Sandra is still on the cruise isn't she - maybe she might have an update on how Carlos is - poor guy hope he makes it.

 

It was good to catch up with you on the ship. I still haven't gone through all the photos of the cruise yet but will post some up with a review. Do you know how to post photos on the web?

 

Rgs

Leeanne

[cruiselover96]

Hi Leeanne, it was great to catch up. I put my photos in on Tuesday and the total came to about 1,000. Picked up some today and will go back tonight and get the rest. Haven't had a proper look yet, but the ones I saw looked great.

 

I have absolutely no idea how to put them on the web. Sorry about that. When you find out, let me know ok. lol lol lol.

 

Maybe Sandra will know more about Carlos when she returns, hope so. Be nice to put it to rest and not be wondering about it.

 

Kerri