Statement of Condolence: Vaavu Atoll Diving Tragedy

The Executive Board and members of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) remain deeply saddened by the tragic passing of 5 Italian divers, of whom 4 remain unaccounted for. We also take this opportunity to mourn the passing of the late Sergeant First Class Mohamed Mahudhee, who was part of the search and recovery team of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) assisting in the search of the missing divers. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all those impacted by this tragedy.

We take this opportunity to highly commend the search and recovery team of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) for their continued efforts to recover the missing divers, which are being conducted under very trying circumstances. We hope these efforts will bring some degree of closure to the families involved. The efforts of the search and recovery team will certainly be remembered by everyone as a great service to the loved ones of those who have tragically passed and to the nation.

In the wake of this tragedy, MATI urges all service providers in the Maldives Tourism industry, including dive centres and dive service providers, to ensure that safety standards are maintained to the highest, so that such a tragedy is never repeated.

End.