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Leaping ray kills Florida boater | |
(about 23 hours later) | |
A US woman on a boat off the Florida Keys has died after a ray leapt up and struck her in the face. | |
Judy Kay Zagorski was boating with her family in the Atlantic Ocean when the 75lb (34kg) spotted eagle ray hit her. | Judy Kay Zagorski was boating with her family in the Atlantic Ocean when the 75lb (34kg) spotted eagle ray hit her. |
The force of the blow knocked the 57-year-old over and her head struck the deck of the vessel, in what officials called a "bizarre incident". | The force of the blow knocked the 57-year-old over and her head struck the deck of the vessel, in what officials called a "bizarre incident". |
The ray died in the impact. Mrs Zagorski, of Pigeon, Michigan, was pronounced dead in hospital. | |
"It's just as freakish an accident as I have heard," wildlife official Jorge Pino told the Associated Press news agency. | "It's just as freakish an accident as I have heard," wildlife official Jorge Pino told the Associated Press news agency. |
The spotted eagle ray resembles a stingray and has a stinging barb at the base of its tail. They are common in warm or tropical waters. | |
Mr Pino said Zagorski did not appear to have been pierced by a barb. | |
The incident occurred near the town of Marathon in southern Florida. | The incident occurred near the town of Marathon in southern Florida. |
In September 2006, Australian TV naturalist Steve Irwin died when a stingray's barb punctured his heart as he filmed at Queensland's Great Barrier Reef. | In September 2006, Australian TV naturalist Steve Irwin died when a stingray's barb punctured his heart as he filmed at Queensland's Great Barrier Reef. |
A month later, an 81-year-old Florida man was lucky to survive after a stingray landed in his boat and left a foot-long barb in his chest. | A month later, an 81-year-old Florida man was lucky to survive after a stingray landed in his boat and left a foot-long barb in his chest. |