Report: Soodh
 The injured Britons were the most seriously hurt, local authorities said |
Two Britons, two Japanese and eight Chinese tourists were hurt by the bomb in a Sultan park in the capital Male'.
The injured British couple have been named as Christian Donelan, originally from Rotherham, and his wife Jennifer, whose maiden name is Green.
The Maldives Police Service said forensic tests were being carried out.
Mohamed Shareef, a government spokesman, said: "Police have arrested ten men based on forensic evidence and now they have been named suspects.
"Some of them were trying to flee the country and were apprehended at the airport."
He said that all the eight men arrested were Maldivian nationals and two were Bangladeshi nationals, and added that police were still searching for other suspects.
'Burns and cuts'
Local media said a mobile phone and washing machine motor attached to a gas cylinder triggered the bomb - reported to have been homemade.
This is the first time a bomb has exploded in the Maldives.
It is not yet clear who was behind the attack, or what the intended target was.
Mr and Mrs Donelan, aged 36 and 31, live in the Gulf state of Qatar and were thought to have been on their honeymoon after marrying in Italy two weeks ago.
Mr Donelan is a keen sportsman who has played hockey for Rotherham's main club, according to reports in the Sunday Telegraph.
He has had surgery to treat leg and arm burns.
Mrs Donelan suffered from more severe injuries, but both have been able to speak to friends and relatives by phone.
The newspaper quoted Mr Donelan's friend Tim Bulleyment as saying: "Christian sounded really rough but he said he was lucky to be alive."
It is thought they were staying on Baros - one of 87 designated tourist islands in the Maldives.
Mr Shareef confirmed 12 people had received burn injuries and said the victims were in a stable condition. He said the British nationals had suffered the most serious injuries.
"The Maldives has never had something like this before. We are taking this very seriously because tourism is our life blood," he said.
Ahmed Afaal, managing director of the ADK Hospital in Male' where the two injured Britons are being treated, said: "The female has got first degree and second degree burns covering up to 40% of her body. And the male has got 27% burns."
A spokeswoman for Universal Resorts, which owns hotels complexes in the Maldives, said 10 of those injured, including the Britons, were staying with them.
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