MALE - Maldives president Abdulla Yameen was saved from an explosion on his speedboat unhurt but his wife and two aides were injured on board when the boat approached the capital Male on Monday.

The cause of the blast was not immediately clear, but it was witnessed by several journalists who were waiting to meet President Abdulla Yameen on his return from the Haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. “There was an explosion at President Yameen’s official speedboat near Male jetty. The president is unhurt, but the first lady was slightly injured,” Hussain Shareef, minister at the president’s office said.

Yameen had landed earlier at the main international airport of the Maldives, an island chain with a population of 400,000, and was making the short final journey to Male by water with his entourage. “We don’t know if the explosion was from explosives or the inboard engine,” said Shareef.