Three English nationals are being investigated into the death of a British woman who was killed when she was hit by a speedboat while swimming off a beach in Corfu yesterday.
Claire Glatman, 60, wife of multi-millionaire property tycoon Mark Glatman, was killed when she was hit by a speedboat while swimming in the sea off Avlaki beach, Corfu .
His body was discovered by another swimmer around 10 a.m.
Three English nationals aged between 20 and 30, two of whom have holiday homes on the island, are being investigated in connection with Ms Glatman’s death, local media reported.
The speedboat believed to have been involved in the incident was found abandoned on a nearby beach and has been moved to a local marina while port authorities conduct a forensic investigation.
Ms Glatman was from Bedale in North Yorkshire and was on holiday with Mark, 63, and the eldest of his two daughters, who were informed of his death. She also has two sons.
Pictured: Claire Glatman, 60, who died tragically yesterday when she was hit by a speedboat while swimming off a beach in Corfu, Greece, with her husband Mark
This boat is believed to be the one involved in yesterday’s tragic incident at Avlaki beach, Ms Glatman, 60, was fatally injured
Claire Glatman, 60, was the wife of multi-millionaire property mogul, Mark Glatman, 63, pictured above
His body was pulled from the sea shortly before 10 a.m. and taken to Corfu General Hospital. The family lawyer identified the body of the sexagenarian yesterday at noon.
Coroner Ioannis Aivatidis said Ms Glatman suffered multiple injuries to her left wrist, arm, chest, pelvis and upper right leg, resulting in internal and external bleeding.
Aivatidis added that Ms Glatman was hit hard by the speedboat and died after just moments.
The injuries were so severe, he said, that no attempt at resuscitation would have worked had someone managed to pull her out of the water.
A British woman was killed after being hit by a boat propeller off Avlaki beach yesterday (file photo) off the Greek resort island of Corfu
The 60-year-old Briton was swimming off Corfu when a speedboat captain reportedly failed to spot her in time
A location map shows where Ms Glatman suffered her fatal injury (Avlaki beach) and where the speedboat suspected of hitting her was later found (Agios Stefanos beach)
She was described as a resident of Corfu for most of the year who was “very popular in the local community”, according to public broadcaster ERT.
Ms Glatman reportedly fell in love with Mr Glatman on the island 30 years ago and the couple bought a villa more recently, where they spend part of the year, the Telegraph reported.
A friend who chose to remain anonymous told the Telegraph that Ms Glatman was an experienced swimmer.
Corfu Press reported, citing family friends, that Ms Glatman swam in place every day on the island.
Mr Glatman is Managing Director of a UK national commercial property group called Abstract.
A Coastguard spokesman told the Telegraph: ‘We received an emergency call from local swimmers who found the woman’s body floating in the sea.
The speedboat believed to have been involved in the incident is pictured above
Port authorities discovered an abandoned speedboat on a nearby beach. Three young English nationals are being questioned over the death of Ms Glatman (pictured: a Greek Coastguard vessel)
“Coastguards have recovered the body and transferred him to the local government hospital where an autopsy will be carried out to determine the exact cause of his death.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: ‘We are in contact with local authorities following reports that a British woman has died in Corfu.
Villagers in Well, Ms Glatman’s home village in North Yorkshire, were shocked by the death of the ‘beautiful soul’.
Claire and her husband Mark lived in historic Well Hall in the heart of the village.
The vast walled property has a swimming pool and tennis courts. A neighbor of Claire said: ‘This is terrible news. She loved Corfu and they spent a lot of time there, but she was also a popular person around Well.
“I knew her as a beautiful soul, friendly and very young at heart.”
Another villager said: ‘We had a scarecrow festival this weekend and the whole village came together and had a fantastic time, but it really brought us down to earth.
‘What a horrible thing that happened. My thoughts are with Mark and the rest of the family.
Friend Bibi Tyszkiewicz wrote on Facebook: ‘She was an absolutely lovely woman. Very popular on this island. Thoughts to the family. It is a huge tragedy.
Julie Evans added: “I’m so, so sorry, my thoughts are with his family, he was a very good and really nice person. God bless you, RIP.
The couple also owned a £3million townhouse in London’s Knightsbridge and a villa in Corfu.
Born in 1960 in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, Claire Glatman, née Glover, was married to Mark Glatman, 63, a trained lawyer who became an influential commercial property developer.
In 2000, he established the Abstract group of companies, focused on real estate development and investment and venture capital projects. The net worth of his businesses is now over £83m.
British tourists have returned to Greece in recent weeks after travel restrictions were lifted.
Greece is one of the ‘travel corridor’ countries where tourists can go without having to quarantine for two weeks on their return to Britain.
However, a rise in coronavirus cases in recent weeks has brought it closer to the threshold of 20 cases per 100,000 in a week at which the UK is likely to reimpose quarantine rules.
The current figure is 14.1, after nearly 1,500 new cases were reported in the past seven days.
Greece needs tourism to revive an economy still struggling with the consequences of a depression that wiped out a quarter of its economy.
New local restrictions have been imposed in tourist hotspots such as Mykonos to curb the spread of the virus, including a midnight curfew for bars, restaurants and cafes and a ban on large gatherings.
