An aspiring actress was swallowed to death by a giant wave while doing cliffside yoga on her vacation in Thailand, local outlets report.
Shocking footage captured Kamilla Belyatskaya, 24, as the wave swept her away at the island of Koh Samui, overlooking the Gulfside of Thailand, during a meditation session on a pink yoga mat, according to the Khaosad English.
Belyatskaya, a Russian-born tourist vacationing in Thailand with her boyfriend was unexpectedly struck by the wave Friday afternoon.
The footage showed her struggling against the currents and succumbing to the frothing waters.
A bystander went into the water to attempt to save her but was unsuccessful. His fate is currently unknown, the outlet said.
Earlier Belyatskaya called the famed beauty spot “home” and “the best place on earth,” on her social media.
She had been spotted earlier arriving at the Lad Ko viewpoint in a red car before going out to the rocks, where she retrieved the pink yoga mat, the outlet reported.
Rescue teams arrived 15 minutes after the incident, but waves reaching up to 9 feet hindered teams from being able to reach her, the outlet said.
Only her pink yoga mat could be spotted after she was swept away, the outlet reported.
Her body was found two-thirds of a mile away from where she drowned.
Chaiyaporn Subprasert, head of the Samui Rescue Centre, said warning systems were in place across the island’s beaches — telling tourists of the possibility of bad swimming and coastline conditions.
“During monsoon season, we constantly warn tourists, especially in high-risk areas like Chaweng and Lamai beaches, where red flags indicate no swimming.” Subprasert said to the outlet.
“While the incident location isn’t a swimming area but rather a viewpoint for scenery, the victim may have been caught off guard by the unexpected wave surge,” he said.
In response to the incident, Samui City Municipality has closed access to the rocky area below the viewpoint, the outlet said.
