Father’s fury as daughter, 7, killed by speedboat
‘An angel is no longer among us because of the stupidity of a man who broke every law, every rule and every norm with tragic consequences’
THE father of a British girl who was killed by a speedboat while on holiday with her family in Albania was pictured brawling with the off-duty police officer allegedly responsible for her death.
Local police confirmed that Jonada Avdia, seven, died instantly after being hit by the boat while swimming just 15ft from the shore on Potami Beach, southern Albania.
The girl, from Barking, east London, had been holidaying with family in their native Albania when she was allegedly hit by off-duty policeman Arjan Tase, who was said to have lost control of the borrowed boat.
The boat’s propeller blades “caused serious injuries that led to immediate loss of life”, a police spokesman said.
Recounting the accident, Jonada’s father Bledar said the boat “came in our direction and came at hellish speed and separated me and the girl. I dived down under the water and the craft hit my daughter with the engine part, cutting her all over”.
Footage was shared by onlookers after the accident on Tuesday showing the father confronting Mr Tase. In the video, Mr Avdia is seen grappling with Mr Tase after the white speedboat returns to shore.
Mr Tase was yesterday expected to appear in court charged with manslaughter, local media reports said.
Mirela Kumbaro, the tourism minister, blamed the national chief of police for the crash, the third such accident to happen on beaches in Albania this summer, telling the Albanian Daily News: “An angel is no longer among us because of the stupidity of a man who broke every law, every rule and every norm with tragically irreversible consequences.”
♦ A British woman died and three other UK nationals, including her husband, were taken to hospital after a speedboat crash in Turkey on Thursday off the coast of Marmaris. Local reports say the speedboat she was in collided with a water taxi.