Two Polish divers die in Malta, investigation underway

The tragedy occurred on Saturday morning off Żonqor Beach near Marsaskala in eastern Malta. Polish divers were training to explore the wreck of the SS Polynesien, a World War I ship, at a depth of 50 metres.

Two Poles Diving Off the Coast of Malta Have Died

According to information obtained by the Times of Malta, the first call to the police was made at 10:30. According to it, one of the divers, a 45-year-old man, started having problems underwater. The other, a 48-year-old, wanted to help a colleague. During the ascent, the divers allegedly skipped the decompression process, which caused the failure.

Both Poles were taken to shore by a rescue boat, where they were examined by rescuers. Despite this, when the ambulance took the divers to a nearby hospital, the doctor pronounced the 45-year-old dead. The 48-year-old died shortly afterwards.

At this point, neither the services nor the media are providing much detail about the tragic incident off the coast of Malta. It is known, however, that a judge was informed of the case and decided to open an investigation. The investigation is ongoing.

Numerous diving accidents off the coast of Malta

The Times of Malta notes that this is not the first dangerous situation on the island’s coast. Not far from the scene of the tragedy, a week earlier, the services rescued two divers who were in a difficult situation.

Moreover, in May, a 44-year-old Swiss woman died while diving in Dwejra Bay on the island of Gozo, and in March, a 45-year-old Dutch man died while exploring the MV Rozi near Ċirkewwa.

In the case of the second incident, a major tragedy was a hair’s breadth away. Of the group of 17 divers, only four people surfaced on their own. The rest were pulled out during a rescue operation involving the military. The event started a debate on the safety of diving near Malta, especially in bad weather conditions.