A New Zealand woman who died after being knocked over by the blast from a jetliner at St Maarten in the Caribbean arrived at the island on a private boat.

The 57-year-old tourist died after being seriously injured when she was blown away by the blast from a departing Boeing 737 about 6pm on Wednesday (local time), St Maarten police said, adding that she was one of several people holding on to the airport fence watching the take-off.

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123RF The woman was holding on to the airport fence, watching the take-off before she was killed.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the New Zealand High Commission in Barbados was in contact with the woman's next-of-kin and was providing consular assistance.

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St Maarten Tourist Bureau director of tourism Rolando Brison said he had spoken to members of the woman's family in hospital.

ALAMY Sint Maarten is a popular destination for plane spotters, as the planes fly low over Maho Beach into the airport. (File photo)

"They are of course very distressed," Brison said.

The police noted the proximity of the runway at Princess Juliana International Airport to Maho Beach was an attraction for tourists from around the world.

"Many tourists come to the island to experience the thrills of the landing of approaching aircraft's (sic) flying low above their heads and the holding on to the airport fence and standing in the jet blast of large aircraft's taking off. Doing this is however extremely dangerous."

YOUTUBE The fence at the end of the runway is next to the roadway, and there are a couple of low walls between it and the beach.

Brison said the dead woman's family were aware of the danger. "They regret it, it's unfortunate. They knew the danger, they just didn't think it would end this way."

Family members were being provided with help, including transport to get to the funeral home, as they had arrived at the island in a personal boat. They had confirmed they were from New Zealand, Brison said.

The tourist bureau sent its deepest sympathy and condolences to the family.

The police statement said the dead woman was one of several people holding on to the airport fence during the take-off of a large jet aircraft. When paramedics reached the scene, the woman was "not responding very well". Reports from local media said she hit her head on concrete.

Police said the woman was taken to the Sint Maarten Medical Center but died shortly after of her injuries.

Airport and other local authorities had taken all necessary measures, such as erecting signs, to warn the public not to stand in the path of the jet blast because of the danger, police said.

"Police patrols on a daily basis visit that area during the busy hours to warn persons to stay away from that area during take off jet aircraft."

Brison said further measures were being discussed "to ensure that this isolated incident remains the sole of its kind on the island".

The end of the airport runway is separated from Maho Beach by a two-lane road. Numerous pieces of footage on YouTube show people holding onto a chain link fence between the end of the runway and the road. There is also a low wall, apparently made of concrete, between the lanes on the road, and another wall where the road meets the beach.

In 2012, a young woman was seriously injured as she was blown from the fence and landed on a concrete barrier.