Safari license suspended following fatal diving accident
As the MNDF continues its search for four Italian tourists missing during a diving excursion in Vaavu Atoll, the body of the diving instructor involved in the incident has been recovered from a hazardous cave at a depth of 60 meters. Technical experts from the Italian government are scheduled to arrive in the Maldives to assist with the ongoing search operation, while relevant authorities are implementing stringent measures to ensure tourism safety standards are upheld following the tragedy.
License of Duke of York safari suspended following incident. | Social Media
The Ministry of Tourism has indefinitely suspended the operating license of the luxury safari vessel "MV Duke of York" following a diving incident in Vaavu Atoll that left four divers missing and resulted in one fatality.
The Ministry of Tourism stated on Saturday that this action was taken in light of the severity of the incident and to facilitate a further investigation into the matter. The Ministry further emphasized that it will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure that tourism industry standards are upheld.
Following the disappearance of five Italian divers last Thursday, only the body of the diving instructor has been recovered from the seabed so far. The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) is continuing its search for the remaining four divers. The MNDF confirmed that the instructor's body was discovered inside a cave at a depth of approximately 60 meters.
According to the MNDF, the body was discovered inside a cave measuring approximately 200 feet in length. Authorities believe the remaining four divers are also located within the same cave. Given the high-risk nature of the operation, additional MNDF Coast Guard divers and specialized equipment have been dispatched to the scene.
The Maldivian government has announced that the Italian government has decided to dispatch technical experts to assist in the ongoing search operation conducted by Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) divers to locate four missing divers.
