Tourist is crushed to death when Malta's famous 'Kissing Elephants' archway collapses onto his jetski 'after US holidaymaker jumps off the rock formation into the sea'

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:59, 29 June 2026 | Updated: 10:29, 29 June 2026 A tourist has been crushed to death by Malta's world-famous 'Kissing Elephants' rock formation, which collapsed after an American holidaymaker jumped off it and into the sea.  The body of the 26-year-old Chinese man, who has not yet been named, was pinned to the seabed after large rocks collapsed on his jetski as he rode it underneath on Saturday evening.  The archway, located on the island of Comino, collapsed at around 7pm that night, shortly after a 32-year-old American tourist jumped off it, according to the Times of Malta.  A 27-year-old Chinese woman, who was also on the jetski, was hospitalised following the incident, having suffered serious injuries.  She was taken to Gozo General Hospital, and doctors reportedly said her injuries were not life-threatening.  The American was rescued by a passing boat, but did not need to go to hospital.  While army divers found the body on Sunday evening, they could not immediately get it out of the water because of the rocks.  Instead, in conjunction with Malta's Civil Protection Department, the debris was lifted by a large crane, before divers could plunge back in and retrieve the tourist's body. A Chinese tourist has been crushed to death by Malta's world-famous 'Kissing Elephants' rock formation (pictured)  The formation is located on Malta's Comino island (pictured)  A Maltese magistrate has opened an inquiry into the incident as investigators continue to look into the tragedy.  Michelle Attard Tonna, a kayaker who spoke to the Times of Malta, said she saw a crack appear in the arch two weeks ago.  She said that despite the arch clearly being vulnerable to collapse, there were no warning signs for people not to approach the rock.  The Kissing Elephants formation is on Comino, a small island northwest of Malta's mainland.  In a video taken before its collapse, a different jetski rider was seen gliding underneath the formation.  Prior to the collapse, the site - on Comino's south coast - was popular with tourists, who rented jetskis in nearby waters and were able to jump off into the sea.  Following the collapse, Outdoor Explorers Malta - a local tour group - wrote on Facebook: 'It is with deep sadness that we must report that one person has lost their life in this incident.  'We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of the victim. This is an immeasurable tragedy.' The island is also home to the famous Blue Lagoon, where thousands visit every year to swim in clear turquoise waters.  The Daily Mail has contacted Maltese police for comment.   The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.