Horrifying CCTV footage has captured the final moments of a father-of-three who ignored warning signs and launched himself off a hotel pier into water barely deep enough to cover his knees.
Arif Erman, 39, was on a family holiday in the popular Turkish resort of Alanya when he ran at speed across the wooden deck, vaulted a protective fence and plunged head-first into the Mediterranean. The water at that spot was only about 50 centimetres deep. He struck the seabed with such force that he suffered catastrophic injuries, including a broken neck, and died in hospital despite frantic efforts to save him.
The incident happened shortly after 3 pm on Friday at a hotel in the Konaklı district. Erman, who lived in Akçay, Sapanca, had approached the edge of the pier, looked down at the sea, then stepped back several metres to build a run-up. Seconds later he sprinted forward, cleared the ropes and netting put there precisely to stop people jumping, and dived.
A lifeguard stationed on the pier immediately leapt in after him. Guests who had been sunbathing and chatting nearby rushed to the railing as the man was pulled from the shallows. First aid was given on the spot before an ambulance took him to hospital. Doctors could not save him.
Turkish reports say Erman was married with three children and had travelled to Antalya for a break. His body is due to be returned to his hometown for burial. An investigation is under way.
The footage, filmed from a security camera looking along the busy pier, shows sun loungers, umbrellas and holidaymakers going about a normal afternoon until the sudden splash and the scramble that followed. Signs warning that jumping was both dangerous and forbidden were clearly visible.
The tragedy has prompted renewed warnings about the risks of diving into water whose depth is unknown. Even experienced swimmers have been killed by the same type of impact. Officials have not named the hotel, but the images leave little doubt how easily a moment of impulse on a sunny afternoon can end in disaster.
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