An actress was swept to her death by a giant wave while exercising on her yoga mat on a popular tourist island in Thailand.
Kamilla Belyatskaya, 24, was swept away from the beauty spot on Koh Sumui just moments after filming herself on her pink yoga mat overlooking the Gulf of Thailand.
Harrowing footage showed Kamila out in the swirling sea after being hit by a large wave and washed into the frothing waters.
A bystander reportedly went into the waves to try and save her, without success. His fate is not known.
Later the mat was seen floating in the violent seas off Koh Samui, one of Thailand’s most popular islands.
The tourist, from Russia’s third city, Novosibirsk, had been visiting Thailand’s second-largest island with her boyfriend, it is understood.
She had gone up to the Lad Ko Viewpoint to watch the waves, apparently going on her own to exercise in front of the view.
She had told her social media followers how she loved this spot and repeatedly returned to the island, which she called ‘home’ and ‘the best place on earth’.
Kamilla Belyatskaya, an amateur actress, had travelled to the Thai spot to exercise
She was seen sitting on her yoga mat as the waves grew stronger and stronger
Footage showed a figure in the water as harsh waves crashed down overhead
She had gone to the Lad Ko Viewpoint to watch the waves, and was seen arriving nearby in a red car.
She retrieved a pink foam mat from the boot of her car before walking to the beauty spot which offers panoramic views of the island.
Video showed her figure bobbing in the water as strong currents violently contorted the water, and waves crashed down overhead.
Rescue teams were also hampered by the raging seas.
While they arrived only 15 minutes after she was swept into the sea, there was nothing they could do to save her.
Kamila had previously posted about the beauty spot: ‘I love Samui so much. But this place, this rocky beach is the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
‘Thank you, universe, for me being here right now. I’m very happy. I’m happy!’
Her boyfriend along with eyewitnesses gave statements to local police on the tragedy.
‘The incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by monsoon conditions, with authorities urging visitors to exercise extreme caution and avoid rocky coastal areas during periods of high waves,’ said one Thai report.
Thailand is increasingly popular with Russian tourists, including men seeking to avoid being forced into Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.
Kamila had been sat on the rocks, apparently meditating, as the waters grew more violent
Kamila is believed to have headed up to the rocks alone to exercise on her yoga mat
Moments before she had spoken to her followers about how happy she was to be there
The pink yoga mat was later seen on the rocks after Kamila disappeared under the waves
Authorities arrived 15 minutes later but their rescue efforts were hampered by the currents
Some 1.48 million visited Thailand in the last year.
Chaiyaporn Subprasert, head of the Samui Rescue Centre, said warning systems were in place across the island’s beaches.
‘During monsoon season, we constantly warn tourists, especially in high-risk areas like Chaweng and Lamai beaches, where red flags indicate no swimming.
‘While the incident’s location is not a swimming area but rather a viewpoint for scenery, the victim may have been caught off guard by the unexpected wave surge.’
Local authorities have established a marine search and rescue centre to coordinate ongoing efforts to locate the missing tourist and the man reported to have gone in to save her.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
