Malta's 'Kissing Elephants' Arch collapses, killing Chinese jet skier and injuring woman

Malta: The famous natural archway, dubbed as the ‘Kissing Elephants’, collapsed on Saturday, June 27, leaving one dead and one injured. The arch collapsed shortly after a 32-year-old American man jumped off it. The tourists travelling on a jet ski beneath the arch at the time of collapse were crushed.

The archway was located on the island of Comino, and crumbled at around 7 p.m, killing a 26-year-old Chinese man, travelling beneath it on a jet ski. The body of the Chinese tourist was found on the seabed on Sunday evening after a large boulder crushed him, leading to his death. Reportedly, the rock formation collapsed on him and pinned him to the seabed.

According to reports, a 27-year-old Chinese woman who was on board the jet ski, was later found severely injured and was rushed to the Gozo General Hospital. 

A crane was used to remove the debris before the search was diversified for the jet skier. Police used surveillance cameras on nearby floating beach club Noma Island to assess what happened and how many victims were involved.

A day-long operation was conducted by divers from the Civil Protection Department and Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) to search for the missing man. 

The body of the tourist was found by the divers from the Armed Forces of Malta on Sunday but could not be raised immediately to the surface because of being trapped under the rocks.

The American man who jumped off the natural arch was rescued by a private boat and was taken to Mġarr Harbour, where he received medical assistance but did not require hospital treatment.

The ‘Kissing Elephant’ arch was a natural rock formation located in Comino, a small island located northwest of Malta’s mainland, and was one of the country's most iconic natural wonders, which served as a scenic location for tourists over decades.

Michelle Attard Tonna, a kayaker, said that she discovered cracks in the arch two weeks ago. According to her, despite the vulnerable state of the arch, no warning signs were put up for people not to approach it. 

Outdoor Explorer Malta Boat Trips, a local tour group has expressed grief on the incident and paid tribute to the victim, while calling it an ‘immeasurable tragedy’.

Reports also indicate that a section of the arch had already fallen five years ago, which made the remaining part even thinner and unsafe. People on social media expressed condolences towards the victim and his family and said that this incident could have been prevented with proactive measures.