(CNN) A tourist from New Zealand was killed by the blast of a plane at an airport in the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Maarten.

The 57-year-old woman, who was not identified, was hanging onto a fence to watch the plane leave Wednesday, the island's police said on Facebook.

A sign near St. Maarten's Princess Juliana International Airport warns people about the danger from airplane jet engines.

The jet's blast was so powerful, it knocked her down, police said. She later died.

Watching planes land and take off at Princess Juliana International Airport is a well-known tourist attraction, as approaching aircraft tend to fly very low above their heads.

But both airport and local authorities warn against getting too close to the planes, calling the practice "extremely dangerous."

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