The body of a surfer killed after being stabbed in the chest by a needlefish in remote Indonesian waters last week is on its way home to her family in Italy. Giulia Manfrini, 36, was “hunting waves” at a surfing resort off western Sumatra around 9:30 a.m.
when, as reported by government news agency Antara, the fish leapt from the water and “stuck her right in the chest.” An official said police reported Manfrini flagged down two other surfers with her, was provided first aid and rushed to a nearby hospital on another island where she ultimately died. A medical report suggested the flying fish left a five-centimetre deep stab wound in Manfrini’s upper left chest and that she was foaming from the nose, unable to breathe properly.
Anatara identified two of the men who were with Manfrini at the time of the accident as Massimo Ferro and Alexandre Ribas, both of whom posted to Instagram following the tragic accident. Ribas, who operates the Hidden Bay Resort Mentawais where Manfrini was a guest at the time, said in an Instagram post that she “died almost instantly.” “Unfortunately, in this case, there was nothing we could do and we provided all the necessary support to help with the procedures for repatriating the body,” he wrote, adding condolences and extolling the resort’s safety protocols.
A post shared by Alexandre Ribas (@alexkerei) The other witness, Massimo Ferro, was Manfrini’s partner. “I am grateful to have been a part of your life, we had such fu.