Parents of British schoolgirl killed on school trip sue school after two years without justice

TThe parents of a British student killed on a school trip to the Maldives are still seeking justice almost two years after their daughter’s death.

Jenna Chan died on November 8, 2024, when she was struck by a boat’s propeller during a trip organized by Singapore-based St Joseph’s Institution International Ltd and a UK-registered charity.

The lawsuit filed by the family stated that the 15-year-old boy lost consciousness and was seriously injured before being pulled onto the boat with the help of his traumatized classmates. He briefly regained consciousness, whispering “help me” before he was pronounced dead less than an hour later.

His parents are Dr. Jennifer Liauw and Alan Chan said: Independent She said they spent more than 20 months begging the school to work with them to determine exactly what happened to their daughter and make sure it never happens again.

Speaking from Singapore, Jenna’s parents recalled their daughter as “pure sunshine, warm, smiling and always thinking about other people.”

“He was the person who held our family together and was especially close to his sister Alisha, who was his soulmate,” they said. “She hoped to become a geriatrician because she loved older people and wanted to care for them. That was Jenna: kind, helpful and loving.”

They said the most important goal for them was to “hold the school accountable by ensuring transparency” regarding risk management, emergency planning and post-event decision-making.

“We hope that the process will lead to meaningful improvements in how overseas school trips are planned, supervised and managed, with clear accountability when these standards are not met,” they said of their lawsuit.

“If this case results in stronger governance and better protections for future students, we will have accomplished something far beyond our own family.”

In the lawsuit filed Monday, Jenna’s parents claim the school “refused to be held accountable” for their daughter’s death and “instead remained aggressive.”

St Joseph’s, a fee-paying international school in Singapore that educates more than 2,000 students aged 4 to 18, denies any wrongdoing.

“To us, accountability means transparency, recognition of the school’s responsibilities, and clear evidence that meaningful changes are being made,” the family said in a joint statement. “In our view, the school failed to meet these expectations.

“We didn’t want to be here,” Dr Liauw said. “For over a year and a half, we asked the school to work with us to find out what happened so this wouldn’t happen to another child. Every door was closed. This plea is about responsibility and making sure Jenna is the last one.”

They point to a letter from the school’s attorneys that clearly asserts that the school “does not owe a positive, non-delegable duty of care to Ms. Jenna Chan to protect and preserve her from the risk of harm.”

The family believe the school, which charges fees of up to £26,900 per year, has not done due diligence on the 2024 Maldives Expedition, which is compulsory for Year 9 students and is essential for progression to the next academic year.

Jenna died after entering the water during a whale shark cruise on the MV Sapphire Black in the South Aryan Marine Reserve in the Maldives, during an expedition run by the UK-registered Maldives Whale Shark Research Program (MWSRP) charity.

After the teenager entered the water, the captain or one of the crew started the boat’s engine, causing the propeller to strike the bottom of the boat.

The lawsuit states that “noise and crackling sounds were heard,” but the boat continued moving “toward those in the water.”

A teacher from the school then dived under the boat to save Jenna; Jenna was later brought back to the ship unconscious, with her leg amputated and a gaping wound on her back. Another student suffered cuts on his ankle due to the rotating propeller.

Jenna’s teachers tried to resuscitate her in front of her schoolmates, who were said to be traumatized by the incident. A nearby dive boat provided them with emergency oxygen as it was not available on the MV Sapphire Black.

Since there was no helicopter in the area to help them, Jenna was finally taken to Dhigurah Health Center on Dhigurah Island around 10:15 a.m., about 45 minutes after entering the water.

His family said the school failed to take reasonable steps to ensure MWSRP was fit and qualified to run trips for schoolchildren and failed to properly investigate the Maldives, which has seen fatal marine accidents on diving and boat tours.

Some 112 tourists died in maritime-related incidents in the Maldives between January 2020 and October 2023, according to police figures released last summer.

They also say other parents learned about Jenna’s tragic death before they did.

While the parents were working on how to repatriate their daughter’s body, the school sent an email to the parents of the children on the trip: “Another day of getting what we hoped for!” and listing the various events taking place that day.

The email included photos of students, including Jenna, even though the school administration learned of her death hours beforehand.

A school spokesman said: “The loss of Jenna was a tragedy and our hearts go out to her family. As a school, we continue to offer them our unwavering support and keep them in our thoughts and prayers every day.”

“We can confirm that Jenna’s parents filed a lawsuit against the school in the Singapore High Court on Tuesday.

“The school denies the allegations made in the claim that misattribute fault to the school. Therefore, the school has retained legal counsel to defend the claim.”

According to the lawsuit, the letter dated Nov. 21, 2025, sent by school attorneys to parents stated that “the cause of the incident was that the boat captain put the ship in reverse after Jenna entered the water.”

The statement of claim stated that as a result, the school “cannot and will not be liable for the action of the boat captain.”

A school spokesperson added: “The school also advised Jenna’s parents that it did not accept any suggestion that the school was withholding information from them and that the school had taken steps to obtain information from Maldivian authorities investigating the incident but the school had not received any such information.

“The school has contacted Jenna’s parents on multiple occasions and remains open to meeting with them when they are ready. We recognize their great loss and strive to be respectful and sensitive in every way possible.

“As the matter is currently before the Singapore Courts, the school will refrain from further commenting publicly on the matter at this point.”

The Maldives Whale Shark Research, formerly the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme, did not respond to a request for comment.