World
New video shows moment Russian Kamilla Belyatskaya is swept to her death by giant wave
New footage shows the moment Russian actress Kamilla Belyatskaya was swept to her death by a massive wave as she meditated on rocks in Thailand.
The newly emerged footage shows several onlookers pointing to the 24-year-old bride-to-be on Friday as she relaxed near the water’s edge on the picturesque island of Koh Samui.
A huge wave suddenly swallows her up, knocking her down from the rocks and dragging her helplessly out to sea.
Belyatskaya can be seen struggling to keep her head above the rough surf, but she disappears below the surface — leaving her pink yoga mat floating in the water, the video shows.
A man reportedly dove in to help but was unable to save her. Rescue teams arrived 15 minutes later but waves as high as 9 feet blocked them from getting to her.
Her body was eventually washed up to shore two-thirds of a mile from where she drowned.
The actor’s shattered fiancé, Grigorii Anokhim, had been on the trip with her, but only learned about her death from social media posts.
“On the day of the accident, my girlfriend said she was going to play tennis, but I did not know that she had stopped by to relax at the Lad Koh viewpoint,” he told local outlets, according to East 2 West News.
“I only found out what had happened from social media. I was devastated and immediately went to the area to help look for her.”
The couple, who had been together for more than five years, was due to wed in Russia in mid-December. They had already taken their pre-wedding photos, he said.
Other videos from their vacation show the pair in Thailand out dancing and spending time together.
Belyatskaya, who hailed from Siberia, had posted about how much she loved the island of Samui, even calling it “home.”
“This place, this rocky beach is the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” she said.
“Thank you, universe, for me being here right now.”
Previous footage shows her basking in the sun at the same cliffside spot where she died.
Belyatskaya had driven to the site alone to watch the waves. She was seen on security camera pulling her pink foam mat from the trunk of her car before heading out to the promontory.
Chaiyaporn Subprasert, head of the Samui Rescue Centre, said warning systems were in place across the island’s beaches telling tourists of the possibility of bad swimming and coastline conditions.
Thailand has emerged as an increasingly popular tourist destination for Russians with some 1.48 million visiting last year — including men looking to dodge military service in the Ukraine war, according to East 2 West News.