Brit tourist, 29, drowns in front of her boyfriend while scuba diving off coast of Albania, as instructor arrested
A BRITISH woman tragically drowned in front of her boyfriend while scuba diving off the coast of Albania.
A diving instructor has been arrested after the 29-year-old died during the trip off Saranda, a resort on the southern coast, not far from the Greek island of Corfu.
The woman, named locally as Rebecca Gannon, was with her boyfriend when she got into difficulty during the dive on Monday afternoon.
Instructor Saimir Kushova, 45, who has been arrested, reportedly tried to save her and managed to pull her to the surface before others frantically tried to help.
Footage shared by an Albanian news website showed a body being taken off a red and white dive boat by seven people and carried up a beach.
Kushova was reportedly arrested on suspicion of violating health and safety rules and illegally employing a diving instructor who was not fully qualified.
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An employee at the diving company, Spiranca Diving, told : "We don’t know what happened, maybe she had a health issue.
"We’re waiting for the autopsy. We’re all very shocked. She was a qualified open water diver, she had a PADI certificate.
“She was diving on a shipwreck but was only at a depth of seven or eight metres. She came to the surface but then went down.
“Saimir has been arrested but he was the one who tried to rescue her, he gave her CPR."
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The group were said to be diving onto the wreck of an Italian cargo ship sunk during World War Two.
Gerta Brozi, who was on the boat when Rebecca got into difficulty, told : "It was a very traumatic experience and the boyfriend was very upset by it, as was everyone else on the boat.
"We just don't know what happened."
Saranda is a popular spot for divers due to its underwater visibility - which ranges from 15 metres up to 30 metres.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Albania and are in contact with the local authorities."