British couple's horror as their Maldives plane crashes in bad weather 'then the pilots swim off to leave them stranded in the sea'
- Thomas Markey, 26, and Sebastian Marczyk, 32, were on holiday in Maldives
- After two aborted take-offs due to bad weather, the plane crashed in the ocean
- The 12 passengers were left bobbing on top of the plane in the sea
A British couple have spoken of their terrifying ordeal when their seaplane nosedived into the sea and the pilots swam to shore.
Thomas Markey, 26, and Sebastian Marczyk, 32, had sat through two aborted take-offs due to bad weather before crashing into the ocean on the failed third attempt.
The couple, from Chester, said there was 'no safety protocol' and claimed the jackets they were given were too small, second hand or out of date.
British couple Thomas Markey and Sebastian Marczyk were left bobbing in the ocean after their seaplane crashed in the sea
As the seaplane carrying 12 passengers crashed into the ocean off the Maldives, they saw the captain and co-pilot swimming to the shore.
Mr Markey told The Sun: '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.'
The 12 passengers managed to clamber on top of the plane and its wings.
The couple boarded the 1969 de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter to main island Male last week
A boat rescue arrived 20 minutes later from Dhoores Island.
The couple were at the end of a ten-day holiday when they boarded the 1969 de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter to main island Male last week.
They are now suing the state-owned Maldivian Airlines.
Aviation investigators and police interviewed passengers while pilots were made to give urine samples.
MailOnline have contacted Maldivian Airlines for a response.
Most watched News videos
- Chilling 999 call from mum as ex breaks in to attack her
- Dash cam shows moment lorry sends car spinning across four lanes
- Rodney Bewes: Ferris talks settling down in Likely Lads sketch
- Uncaring and uncouth: Corbyn turns on Tory MP in Budget response
- 'We haven't spoken since' Rodney Bewes on his fallout with Bolam
- Shocking moment white truck ploughs into Jewish man in hit-and-run
- Dangerous driver rams motorcyclist with passenger while moving
- Huntswoman appears to batter saboteur with riding crop
- Paul Hollywood and wife Alexandra bicker on the red carpet
- Fish and seafood eaten whilst still ALIVE in Chinese tradition
- This £24.8K flat pack folding home takes just SIX HOURS to build
- Female North Korean defector reveals harsh truths about the regime
- Mortgage advisor and his wife go on dine-and-dash spree...
- Jealous bus driver, 28, warned love rival he was a 'dead...
- Lottery winners may soon get £10,000 every month for...
- Police hunt 'voyeur' who installed secret camera in...
- Heartbroken mother tells how she 'sobs and screams' over...
- 'I've become a grangela!' Labour shadow minister Angela...
- Gypsy accused of murdering his cousin, 20, with a steel...
- Body found in hunt for missing girl, 15, who was last...
- Three-year-old boy died in his father's arms in...
- Moment raging Jeremy Corbyn loses it after 'uncouth' Tory...
- Father who sexually abused 13-month-old Poppi Worthington...
- May says Hammond's Budget will make Britain 'fit for the...
- The EU's imploding as nation after nation turns to the...
- 'Merry Christmas Mr Speaker!' Chancellor FREEZES duties...
- James Bolam denies decades-long feud with Rodney Bewes...
- Married Pakistani doctor, 44, who molested student nurse,...
- 'Justice has won': Concentration camp prisoner whose...
- Hero bus driver sacrificed himself in 'complete inferno'...