A 15-year-old student from Singapore visiting the Maldives to take part in a whale shark research project with her school has died after being struck by a boat propeller. She and her group had just entered the sea on snorkels.
Jenna Chan was on a trip with her school, St Joseph’s Institution (SJI) International, travelling accompanied by family-members with a team led by the school’s principal.
The police said yesterday (8 November) that the incident had occurred near the island of Dhigura in South Ari Atoll, about 100km south-west of the capital Male. Jenna was taken to Dhigura Health Centre but pronounced dead on arrival. No details of the incident were available and the police are now carrying out an investigation.
Whale sharks can be seen year-round in the atoll, and SJI students had similarly visited the Maldives the previous November for “deep-sea snorkelling and resilience lessons”. The expedition was part of the National Youth Achievement Award (the Duke of Edinburgh Award in the UK), which is compulsory for students from grade 9 at the school.
Also on Divernet: Prop severs female diver’s leg in Maldives, Prop death – dive widower files lawsuit, Diver hit by dhoni prop
