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Home National News Two people arrested over Maldives bomb

Two people arrested over Maldives bomb

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Two people have been arrested in connection with a bomb blast in the Maldives which left 12 tourists injured, local police have said. Two Britons, two Japanese and eight Chinese tourists were hurt by the bomb in a park in the capital Male.

The injured British couple have been named as Christian Donelan, originally from Rotherham, and his wife Jennifer, whose maiden name is Green.


The Maldives Police Service said forensic tests were being carried out.

'Burns and cuts'

Local media said a mobile phone and washing machine motor attached to a gas cylinder triggered the bomb - reported to have been homemade.

This is the first time a bomb has exploded in the Maldives.

It is not yet clear who was behind the attack, or what the intended target was.

Mr and Mrs Donelan, aged 36 and 31, live in the Gulf state of Qatar and were thought to have been on their honeymoon after marrying in Italy two weeks ago.

Mr Donelan is a keen sportsman who has played hockey for Rotherham's main club, according to reports in the Sunday Telegraph.

He has had surgery to treat leg and arm burns.

Mrs Donelan suffered from more severe injuries, but both have been able to speak to friends and relatives by phone.

The newspaper quoted Mr Donelan's friend Tim Bulleyment as saying: "Christian sounded really rough but he said he was lucky to be alive."

It is thought they were staying on Baros - one of 87 designated tourist islands in the Maldives.

Maldives government spokesman Mohamed Shareef confirmed 12 people had received burn injuries and said the victims were in a stable condition. He said the British nationals had suffered the most serious injuries.

"The Maldives has never had something like this before. We are taking this very seriously because tourism is our life blood," he said.

Ahmed Afaal, managing director of the ADK Hospital in Male where the two injured Britons are being treated, said: "The female has got first degree and second degree burns covering up to 40% of her body. And the male has got 27% burns."

A spokeswoman for Universal Resorts, which owns hotels complexes in the Maldives, said 10 of those injured, including the Britons, were staying with them.

Army headquarters

She said: "As far as we are aware Universal Resorts have a total of 10 guests who were injured, two of whom were UK citizens that actually live in Qatar.

"Those two guests are being taken care of in the hospital in Male and are with Universal Resorts staff.

"They have requested that they would like to go back to Qatar as soon as possible."

The two other injured tourists, who were not guests of Universal Resorts, are believed to be from Japan.

A Foreign Office official is flying to the Maldives to provide consular assistance. The Foreign Office does not have staff permanently based in the Maldives.

A witness reported seeing scattered nails after the blast.

The park is in the shadow of the Maldives army headquarters and several surveillance cameras are trained on the area.

More than 600,000 tourists visited the Maldives last year, and the tourist industry is the linchpin of the country's economy.

The Muslim country has a reputation for tranquillity and the capital has not witnessed gunfire or explosions since an attempted coup in 1988. 

Courtesy: BBC News