Man dies on Gozo dive

A 54-year-old German man died while he was diving off Dwejra in Gozo yesterday morning.

Siegfried Haigis's lifeless body was discovered floating close to the Azure window after his wife, who was on shore fishing, reported him missing.

The police were informed at 10.45 a.m. that a diver was missing but he was certified dead at the scene by a medical team which was on the spot within minutes. A helicopter also arrived overhead but was not required.

The police said the man began the dive at around 10.30 a.m. and his body was seen floating in the water some 15 minutes later.

Sources said that the man was with some friends at the start of the dive. He was spotted on the surface by people on land.

The sources said it appeared he suffered a medical or technical problem, though a post-mortem still has to establish the cause of death. The sea was described as "reasonably calm".

Duty Magistrate Tonio Micallef Trigona was informed of the case and ordered a post-mortem examination to be carried out.

The Gozo police are investigating.