Olympic Athlete Eya Guezguez, 17, Has Died In A Sailing Accident & Her Twin Was Also Onboard

Teenager Eya Guezguez, the youngest Tunisian to compete at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has died after a training accident at sea.

Guezguez, 17, was practicing for future competitions on Sunday with her twin sister and fellow Olympian, Sarra Guezguez, when strong winds reportedly caused their sailboat to capsize.

Eya drowned after getting trapped under the capsized boat, reported The Daily Star. Her sister, who was also on the boat, survived the accident.

The sisters competed in sailing during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in the summer of 2021 and were the youngest athletes to compete for Tunisia at the Games at 16 years old.

The sisters had hopes of competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics, with their Instagram accounts showing them training.

The director's office of the nautical club of the Tunisian navy announced Eya's death on Sunday, reported Turkey's Anadolu Agency.

The International Olympic Committee confirmed the news on Monday.

"I am shocked by the news of sailor Eya Guezguez's death," IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement. "She was an inspiring talent and role model for her athletes’ generation."

Officials are investigating the incident.

Several people took to Twitter to mourn the loss of the Tunisian athlete, including journalist Souhail Khmira who was one of the first to post about the news.

"Eya Guezguez [...] Tunisian Olympic Windsurfer, has passed away today after an accident at practice. Eya, along with her twin, Sarra, were the Youngest female athletes at the #Tokyo2020 Olympics," read his tweet. "May she Rest In Peace."

A user who said they were one of Guezguez's classmates paid tribute to the Olympic athlete on Twitter, saying: "It was really hard for me to take the news."

"[I| can't believe before the winter holidays, we gave her and her twin an award during an event I participated in," continued the tweet.