Ray jumps and kills boater off Florida Keys

By Jane Sutton

MIAMI (Reuters) - A ray leaped onto a boat off the Florida Keys on Thursday and knocked a woman to the deck, killing her, wildlife investigators said.

"It's a bizarre accident," said Jorge Pino, an officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The woman and her family were aboard a boat in the Atlantic Ocean, off the city of Marathon in the Florida Keys, he said.

"A large ray jumped out of the water and collided with the victim," Pino said.

The impact threw the woman backward and she hit her head on the vessel, he said. Investigators initially said one of the animal's venomous barbs had stabbed her, but they later said there was no sign of a puncture.

An autopsy was pending.

"We believe she died as a result of the impact between herself and the spotted eagle ray," said Gabriella Ferraro, a spokeswoman for the wildlife commission.

The ray weighed about 80 pounds (36 kg) and had a wingspan of 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 metres), Ferraro said. The boat was travelling at about 25 mph (40 kph) when the animal collided with the woman, killing both, she said.