Maldives' premier seaplane operator 'Maldivian' on Wednesday denied allegations made by two UK tourists that they had been "abandoned" by the crew after the crash last week.
UK's tabloid newspaper 'The Sun' quoted the British holiday couple "were left bobbing in the ocean after their seaplane crashed in bad weather and the pilots swam off."
The seaplane with 12 passengers and three crew members crashed during take off last Thursday which was headed to Velana International Airport (VIA) from Dhoores Island.
According to 'The Sun' Thomas Markey, 26, and Sebastian Marczyk, 32, had sat through two aborted take-offs before being buffeted into the water on a third attempt off the Maldives.
As the 12 passengers tried to scramble out, they spotted the captain and co-pilot heading for the shore, the media report said.
Thomas said: “They’d tied all the baggage against the designated fire exit and it was blocked. I turned round and shouted at the crew member at the back to open the door.
“Two or three minutes later everyone’s in the water without life jackets. I shouted, ‘Get the life jackets out’.
“But the one I was given was for a baby. The jackets were second-hand and some even expired in 2004. It’s a joke. There was no safety protocol, no instructions.”
Maldivian however, in a statement denied the claims insisting that the crew "acted swiftly to contain the situation in accordance with emergency procedures."
The local airline also went onto stress that all its aircrafts conform to both local and international aviation regulations and standards.
According to the UK media report, the British couple were suing the state-owned airline which had however not been mentioned in the statement or confirmed by Maldivian.
Thursday's incident was the second in quick succession involving a Maldivian seaplane.
