Woman and daughter killed while sitting on boat in Maldives

A woman and her daughter, both believed to be Singapore permanent residents, were killed in a boating accident in Maldives last Thursday.

The women, along with four others, were on a dive boat near the island of Maafushi in Kaafu Atoll that evening.

They were headed to a dive site when a speedboat carrying four people crashed into the side of the dive boat where the two women were sitting, said a dive instructor who wanted to be known only as Mr Martin.

He works for Maafushi Dive, which took the women out for the dive.

"The speedboat was going fast, very fast. The impact was so great that the speedboat went onto the dive boat," he said.

"It was also, unfortunately, where the two women were sitting."

The women died before reaching the Maafushi health centre, reported Haveeru Online.

The New Paper understands that the mother was 42 years old and her daughter was a few days shy of her 16th birthday.

Mr Martin told TNP that the two women, who were not travelling with anyone else, were on holiday in Maldives and had signed up to dive with his company.

He added that the police have since taken over the case and declined to comment further.

None of the remaining four passengers suffered any serious injuries, reported Xinhua News.

DAMAGED

A Maldives police spokesman told Haveeru Online that both vessels were badly damaged.

The speedboat was ferrying people between Maafushi and the capital Male.

The spokesman said the police, armed forces and members of the public were working together to salvage the vessels before taking them to Maafushi.

A day after the incident, Maldives' Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed expressed his concern at the marine safety standards and announced plans to host a national sit-down, reported Haveeru Online.

Mr Saeed called for all relevant parties in the marine industry, such as boat captains, to join in.

"The purpose is to provide information on marine safety, regulations and prevention of accidents," he said.

"All boat captains will partake in the sit-down held jointly by the transport authority and coast guard."

This article was first published on Dec 22, 2015.
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