Maldives president escapes unhurt from speedboat blast

Maldives President Yameen Abdul Gayoom escaped unhurt Monday from a blast on his speedboat as he returned home after preforming hajj in Saudi Arabia, according to ABC News.

Minister Mohamed Shareef said the blast occurred Monday morning as the boat reached the main jetty in the capital of Male. Gayoom's wife Fathimath Ibrahim and an aide suffered minor injuries while a body guard sustained relatively serious injuries, he said.

Shareef said the cause of the blast, thought to have happened in the engine room, was not known. Boating accidents and fires are common in the Indian Ocean archipelago state.

"We are not ruling out anything, whether it is an accident or an attempt on the president's life," Shareef said adding that investigators are inspecting the boat and watching video footages of the blast.

Source: MENA