A 26-year-old Chinese man has died after a large rock collapsed onto a jet ski near Comino on Saturday evening, while a 27-year-old Chinese woman suffered grievous injuries, police said.

The incident happened in an area close to the Santa Marija Battery. The man's body was recovered from the seabed on Sunday evening, some 24 hours after the accident.

In a statement on Sunday morning, police said officers were called to assist at around 7.15pm after a large rock fell onto people who were on a jet ski near Comino.

Police said the rock collapsed from a natural arch as a 32-year-old American man was preparing to jump into the sea, striking the jet ski as it passed underneath. The American escaped without requiring hospital treatment.

The jet ski was carrying a 26-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman, both from China, who ended up in the sea.

The American was pulled from the water by a private vessel and taken to Mġarr Harbour, where he was given medical assistance but was not taken to hospital, the statement said.

Police said Civil Protection officers and members of the Armed Forces of Malta were immediately called to the scene and launched a search and rescue operation.

In a separate statement, the Armed Forces said the Rescue Coordination Centre had received initial reports that people required immediate assistance following the rockfall, prompting the immediate deployment of an AFM rescue vessel.

A Civil Protection Department rescue vessel carrying rescue personnel was also deployed to support the operation, the AFM said.

A short while later, the 27-year-old woman was rescued and taken to Mġarr Harbour in Gozo, where she was treated by a medical team before being transferred by ambulance to Gozo General Hospital.

She was later certified as suffering from grievous injuries, police said.

The search for the 26-year-old man continued, with divers from the Armed Forces' Gozo Command and the 3rd Regiment deployed to assist in the operation.

The Armed Forces said the divers located the man trapped beneath the rock underwater, showing no signs of life.

Police said that because of the way the victim was found, the operation to recover the body from the sea was still ongoing.

Magistrate Dr Monica Vella LL.D was informed of the case and opened a magisterial inquiry. Police investigations are ongoing.

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