An Italian tourist suffered severe head injuries Monday after being hit by a blast of air from the engines of a passenger jet taking off from the Aegean Sea island’s airport, reports said.
According to state ERT television, the 52-year-old woman was initially taken to the island hospital and then, due to the severity of her injuries, airlifted to hospital on the nearby mainland city of Volos.
The precise circumstances of the accident were not clear. Skiathos’ airport’s runway is close to the sea and many tourists are attracted to the perimeter fence from which they can enjoy close-up views of aircraft landing or taking off.
In the process, sometimes bystanders get hit by the airflow from jet engines which can be strong enough to blow people and their belongings away and cause severe injury.
