British teenagers killed in Greek parasailing accident
AN I NVESTIGATION has been launched after two British teenagers were killed and a third seriously injured when they fell 400ft on to rocks while parasailing in Greece, despite rules banning three people taking part at once.
Cousins Jessica Lee Hayes, 15, and Michael Steven Connelly, 13, were being towed by boat in strong winds along with the boy’s brother when the cord snapped on Wednesday.
The surviving boy, 15, is in intensive care in a “serious condition with multiple injuries”.
Tony Hayes, Jessica’s father, from Kettering, Northants, told The Sun: “Jessica was a beautiful, beautiful lady. Extremely popular and very special.
“Mikey, her cousin, exactly the same. They’ve been stolen from us.”
The owner of the water sports company has been arrested facing charges of “criminal negligence and serious bodily harm,” a Rhodes official said. A spokesman for the Lindos Coastguard told The Daily Telegraph the speedboat operator was believed to have breached a number of regulations regarding parasailing.
Local reports claim three-person parachutes were recently banned on the
island. Waters sports organisers are not meant to take children parasailing under the age of 14. They also require parental permission for youngsters aged 14 to 18 to take part.
Although parasailing is not allowed during high winds, witnesses reported strong gusts on Wednesday when the three children went out.