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California woman struck by boat propeller in Columbia

Natalia Andrea Larranaga Fajardo, 26 originally from Columbia, now from California, was on vacation in Columbia on November 27, 2022.

Natalia Andrea Larranaga Fajardo<br>Daily Mail image

Natalia Andrea Larranaga Fajardo
Daily Mail image

Natalia was on Wata Beach in San Andes, Columbia about 445 miles off the mainland coast of Columbia. She saw some people she knew on a tour boat and joined them. The tour boat was carrying 22 tourists and two crew members. It went to a popular area with several other boats. Natalia’s flip-flops / thongs/ sandals fell over the side of the boat. Natalia dove in to recover her flip-flops and was fatally struck by the tour boat’s propeller.

She was struck in the legs, lower back, and buttocks by the propeller. Natalia was taken by jet ski (PWC) to a hospital on San Andres Island. The name of the hospital was the State Social Enterprise Department Hospital. She received several transfusions and surgeons tried to repair her arteries. Natalia died from cardiac arrest early the next morning.

Cell phone video covered the moments after the accident. Most sites are marking it as UPSETTING OR DISTRESSING VIDEO as it is graphic.

The accident is under investigation in Columbia.


Discussion of Media Coverage

The accident was internationally covered by media such as NewsHub (New Zealand), the Daily Mail (UK), Yahoo News, Daily Beast, Meaww, Daily Star (UK), The Sun (UK), First Post (India), Miami Herald, Mirror (UK), Must Share News, Daily Caller, MSN, New York Post, Archipelago Press, News.Com Australia, Toronto Sun (Canada), and SK Pop news.

The international press deadlines were very graphic such as “shredded by boat propeller”, “gruesome boating death and witnesses scream in horror”. “tourist gruesomely killed by boat propeller”, “shredded to death in boat propeller turning sea red with blood”, “dies after being sucked into boat propeller”, and “gets shredded by boat propeller”.

As usual, U.S. headlines were considerably more reserved.


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