Maldives suspends luxury vessel licence after five Italian divers die

MALE: Maldivian authorities have suspended the operating licence of a luxury liveaboard vessel after five Italian passengers died in what was described as the deadliest diving disaster in the Indian Ocean tourist destination.

Officials said rescuers were searching for a third day for the Italian divers, who did not return after a dive on Thursday. One body from the group of five was recovered the same day, while an initial search for the other four divers on Friday did not succeed.

Italy’s foreign ministry confirmed on Thursday that all five Italian nationals had died.

The University of Genoa said those who died included a marine biology professor, her daughter and two young researchers.

Chief government spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef said an investigation had been opened into why the group descended below the officially permitted depth of 30 metres, or 98 feet.

Authorities said the body of one diver, who has not yet been publicly identified, was found in a cave at a depth of 60 metres, or 196 feet.

Licence suspended pending investigation

In a statement, the tourism ministry announced action against the vessel involved in the incident.

The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has suspended the operating licence of the liveaboard vessel MV Duke of York indefinitely, pending the outcome of an investigation into the diving incident that occurred in Vaavu Atoll on May 14

The MV Duke of York is a 36-metre luxury boat with capacity to host 25 guests.

Diving destination under scrutiny

The Maldives is made up of 1,192 small coral islands spread across about 800 kilometres, or 500 miles, along the equator in the Indian Ocean. The low-lying island nation is known as an upscale holiday destination and is especially popular with divers, many of whom stay either at remote resorts or aboard liveaboard dive boats.

Diving and other water-sport accidents are said to be relatively uncommon in the South Asian country, although several fatal incidents have been reported in recent years.

The latest tragedy has drawn attention to diving safety rules in the Maldives, where officials are now examining the circumstances in which the group went beyond the permitted depth during the dive in Vaavu Atoll.