A British-led rescue operation in the Maldives has ended in tragedy. A diver searching for the bodies of two missing tourists in an underwater cave system has died. The incident has triggered a fierce debate about safety standards in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
Sources say the diver, a foreign national working with a British-run dive company, became trapped in a narrow passage inside the flooded caves. He ran out of oxygen before colleagues could reach him.
This is the third death in the same cave system in six months. Two British tourists drowned there in January. The local authorities had promised a full safety review. They didn't do it.
Now, whispers of a cover-up. The Maldivian tourism ministry is pushing back against allegations of lax regulation. But insiders say the pressure to keep the islands open for business is immense.
"The caves are a money spinner," one dive instructor told me. He asked not to be named. "Skipping safety protocols saves time and cash. But it costs lives."
The grieving family flewhome this morning. They released a short statement: "Our son was a hero. He died trying to bring closure to others. We want answers."
Westminster is paying attention. A backbench MP on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee says she will raise the issue in the Commons tomorrow. "We cannot have British firms operating in a safety vacuum," she said.
The company at the centre of the scandal has not commented. Its website boasts of "world-class safety standards."
This is a story about money, accountability, and the human cost of cutting corners. It will run and run.
