A 30 YEAR-OLD Slovak peacekeeper, Alexander S., died while scuba diving in Cyprus on October 6, the SITA newswire reported.
Vladimír Gemela, a spokesperson for the Slovak Defence Ministry, said that the soldier, who was diving during his free time, was struck by a speedboat operated by the local police as he surfaced.
He died from his injuries before reaching hospital.
The soldier, who worked in the peacekeeping mission as a driver, was from Prešov. He was married, and leaves two children.
Slovakia has been operating as part of the UNICYP force in Cyprus since 2001.
At present, the mission comprises about two hundred soldiers.
The main task of the soldiers is to keep the peace between Greeks and Turkish Cypriots in the buffer zone on the divided island.
