A woman who was killed in a jet ski accident on the Costa del Sol has been named as the wife of a football club chairman.
Debra Wright, 43, whose husband is Ashton Town’s Chris Wright, tragically died on Saturday in the Brit holiday hotspot.
The 43-year-old is believed to have died instantly after being hit by a speedboat that police sources said was being driven by a friend – who then failed a breath test.
Spanish court officials have said the man arrested over the death appeared in court yesterday on suspicion of manslaughter alongside an alcohol-related offence.
In a statement, the club wrote: ‘It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that on behalf of Ashton Town FC we announce the tragic death of Debra Wright, wife of Chris our Chairman who was tragically killed whilst on holiday in Spain on Saturday evening.
‘Our family are in mourning at this sad time and we ask for time for Chris and his family and everyone at the club to be able to start to come to terms with this tragedy.
‘RIP Debra, fly high sweetheart.’
The club, based in Greater Manchester, play in the North West Counties LEague Division One North.
Debra Wright pictured with her husband Chris, the chairman of Ashton Town FC
The football club confirmed Debra had died while on holiday in Spain
Debra is believed to have died instantly after being hit by a speedboat
A message released by Ashton Town FC as a tribute to Debra on social media today
The incident happened around 7.25pm on Saturday at a beach called Los Toros just west of the popular holiday resort of Estepona.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Malaga said: ‘I can confirm the dead woman is a 43-year-old British national.
‘She was a passenger on the jet ski.’
A well-placed police source said: ‘The jet ski was being driven by her partner. They appear to have been hit from behind by a friend at the wheel of a speedboat.
‘He failed a breath test after the collision so he’s likely to have been arrested but that is not something I can confirm at this stage.’
The British woman killed is believed to have been on holiday in the area. The nationality of her partner and of the ‘friend’ said to have been driving the speedboat is not yet known.
A spokesman for a regional government-run emergency response coordination centre, speaking before police confirmed the nationality of the victim, said: ‘A woman died late on Saturday in the town of Manilva in Malaga in a collision between a jet ski and a motorboat
‘The nautical accident occurred on Los Toros beach at around 19:25 hours, when several witnesses alerted the coordination centre of a collision between a jet ski and a speedboat.
Ashton Town FC released a statement in tribute to Debra, writing ‘fly high sweetheart x’
Debra and Chris were both reportedly on a jet ski when they were hit by a speedboat
The incident happened around 7.25pm on Saturday at a beach called Los Toros just west of the popular holiday resort of Estepona (File image)
‘The Civil Guard went to the scene with coastguards who mobilised a boat called Gadir and emergency medical responders.’
A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign Office told MailOnline: ‘We are supporting the family of a British woman who died in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.’
An unmanned man reportedly failed a breath test after the tragedy.
