Bermuda fatality suspect bailed

The man arrested after a fatal boat collision in Bermuda which killed a Christchurch woman has been released on bail under ‘‘strict conditions’’, according to local police.

Mary Elizabeth McKee, 62, was killed after the inflatable boat she taking to shore was hit by a larger boat on Hamilton Harbour on June 1.

McKee’s husband Arthur and a 26-year-old British tourist were seriously injured in the incident.

The driver of the second boat, a 26-year-old Bermuda resident, was arrested on suspicion of impaired operation of a watercraft.

Police said the man passed a breath test but was kept in custody ‘‘pending further inquiries’’.

Reports suggested the larger boat had not switched its lights on when it drove over the top of the boat the McKees were on.

Last night, local police spokesman Robin Simmons said the man had been released on bail ‘‘under strict conditions’’.

He was unable to say what those conditions were, or when a trial might take place.

The accident happened near where Emirates Team New Zealand won the America’s Cup.

Helmsman Peter Burling told Bermuda’s The Royal Gazette the accident was an ‘‘incredibly sad time’’, and the team wore black armbands the next day.

McKee was farewelled at a service at Christchurch’s Anglican Cathedral on June 25.