Missing diver found dead

Sunrise yesterday brought with it the gruesome discovery of a missing diver's corpse at Paradise Bay, Ċirkewwa.

The 43-year-old diver, Frank Baldacchino, was reported missing on Tuesday evening by his family after he failed to return from one of his many boat outings and their calls to his mobile phone remained unanswered.

Using Go Mobile triangulation, a system with which the authorities can pinpoint the location of a mobile phone, the Armed Forces of Malta soon found Mr Baldacchino's boat anchored some 20 metres off Paradise Bay.

AFM divers were on site in no time and began searching for the diver, accompanied by the police who patrolled the nearby coast.

His body was spotted by an aircraft, which was dispatched at sunrise yesterday, at which point AFM divers were again dispatched to recover the corpse.

The body was taken to the mortuary where an autopsy will be performed this morning.

The police said yesterday no external signs of violence were found on the corpse.

An electrical engineer at Go, Mr Baldacchino was an intelligent but quiet man, his manager Paul Montanaro, said of him. "He didn't speak much but when he did, he always made sense."

Mr Montanaro said Mr Baldacchino, who was always smiling, was a keen sea enthusiast and was in fact thinking about buying a new car that can better tow his boat.

Unmarried and living with his mother and sister, Mr Baldacchino supported his family following his father's death.

It was the manager who broke the news to the rest of his colleagues. They were in shock and disbelief.

"No one ever spoke badly of him. He was on good terms with everyone," Mr Montanaro said.

Joseph Agius, a colleague and boyhood friend, said in a comment posted on timesofmalta.com that Mr Baldacchino was very conscious about health and safety and thus he cannot understand what has happened.

Mr Baldacchino's cousin, Josanne Drago Bason, described him as a very cautious person and said she's sure he was very careful and took all necessary precautions before diving.

"Frank, I'm so proud to be your cousin. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to get to know you really well. I'm sure you're with the Lord at this moment. You deserve all happiness," Ms Drago Bason wrote on timesofmalta.com.