Lloyd’s of London yesterday scrapped plans to hunt for a treasure trove of jewels at the site of the 1998 Swissair crash – after angry relatives of the victims objected.
The British underwriter applied for a license to send a mini-submarine to the ocean bed off Nova Scotia and look for 4.5 pounds of diamonds and 11 pounds of jewelry.
The insurance firm was defending its decision as early as yesterday morning, then suddenly announced it would not “dive or explore” the crash site.
“Lloyd’s would like to apologize to all of the families of the victims of the Swissair crash for any distress caused by its application for a license,” the company said.
If the firm does receive a license, it will use it to deter other treasure hunters from scavenging at the site of the crash, which killed 229 people, it said.
The jewels listed on the manifest were packed in a stainless-steel tube.
The site was dredged by Canadian authorities immediately after Flight 111, which took off from Kennedy Airport, went down Sept. 2, 1998.
Lloyd’s plan was debated before the Nova Scotia Legislature last week, and victims’ family members opposed the plan.