A surfer has died after being impaled by a swordfish in a freak accident in Indonesia.
Giulia Manfrini, 36, was riding a wave when the swordfish leapt out of the water and struck her in the chest, according to witnesses.
The incident happened on Masokut Island, a favourite spot with surfers off the west coast of Sumatra.
Massimo Ferro and Alexandre Ribas who were nearby tried to save her, according to local media.
She reportedly had a five-centimetre deep stab wound on the left side of her chest.
The surfer was taken to a local health clinic but could not be saved.
A string of tributes were paid to her on her instagram account.
One wrote: “The sea, that gave you so much, has taken your life. Rest in peace”.
Another wrote: “I just heard the dreadful news. RIP.”
Manfrini was a law graduate from the town of Venaria Reale, where her father was a lawyer and her mother a GP.
Fabio Giulivi, the mayor of her home town, said: “The whole community offers its condolences to her family.
“The news of her death has shocked us all, we feel helpless in the face of a tragedy that cut short her life so prematurely.”
Manfrini graduated in law but had initially worked as a snowboarding coach.
She then learned surfing and moved to Bali, where she worked as a surfing instructor.
Officials planned to transport her body by boat to the port of Padang from where it would be repatriated to Italy.
Human fatalities caused by swordfish are extremely rare. These fish are found in temperate and tropical waters worldwide, with adults capable of growing up to 15 feet and weighing around 450kg.
