Tourist plunges 15 metres to her death from edge of rooftop swimming pool at luxurious villa in Phuket
A tourist has died after plunging 15 metres from the edge of a rooftop swimming pool at a luxurious villa on the Thai island of Phuket.
Veronika Kobzova, 28, a Ukrainian circus acrobat, had been relaxing around the pool when she walked to the edge and fell late at night.
The holiday-maker 'made a misstep' and tumbled down into an alley below, according to witnesses.
Friends rushed to check on her after she disappeared over the side, but she tragically could not be saved.
She was pronounced dead less than an hour after her fall at 3.30am, which inflicted serious 'head and chin' injuries.
Veronika was a member of a famous Ukrainian circus family.
Her uncle Mykola Kobzov, head of Circus Kobzov, said: 'In a tragic accident, my niece Veronika Kobzova has passed away.
'She fell from a height of 15 metres.
'Young, beautiful, successful — and now such a terrible loss.
'Veronika, we will always remember you. I love you. Our whole family is in mourning.'
Pictures appear to show the rooftop pool without any protective barriers.
The pool reaches right to the edge of the building, beyond which there is a sheer drop down to a steep gully with a concrete wall.
Thai police are reportedly investigating her death, but foul play is not suspected.
A Thai report said: 'The blissful rooftop ambience and the allure of a poolside walk culminated in an unintended peril.
'As her friends watched, her celebration turned to calamity when she misstepped at the edge of the rooftop swimming pool, plunging from the third floor into a narrow alley below.'
Veronika was comfortable with heights, with videos showing her pulling off dangerous aerial acts in her performances.
The tragic tourist hailed from Nikopol, in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region.
She had worked in the circus from the age of 12 – and later starred in the prestigious Cirque du Soleil and the German Roncalli Circus.
She also performed in Asia, most frequently China, and recently had been based in Thailand, reports said.
Phuket is Thailand's largest island and immensely popular amongst tourists, often as a starting point for trips to surrounding smaller islands.
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