Jet blast at St. Maarten seaside airport kills tourist

Philipsburg, St. Maarten — Officials in the Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten say a New Zealand tourist has been killed by the blast from a jetliner taking off from a seaside airport.

Police spokesman Ricardo Henson says the 57-year-old woman was knocked into a wall as she tried to cling to a fence to feel the blast. He says she was taken to the hospital late Wednesday and died. Her name hasn’t been released.

Henson said Thursday many people ignore multiple warning signs to stand by the fence at the Princess Juliana International Airport, which is notoriously close to the beach in the tiny territory. He said many have been injured, but she is the first to die.