3 missing after supply vessel sinks en route to Huvadhu Atoll
There were eight people on board the vessel at the time of the incident. Seven were rescued.
A supply vessel carrying aggregate and construction sand from Laamu Atoll to Huvadhu Atoll sank after taking on water in rough seas, leaving the vessel's captain, a Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) officer and a police officer missing.
The vessel, Friend 4, encountered heavy swells before flooding and sinking.
The MNDF said on Thursday that the Coast Guard's Fourth Squadron under the Central Area Command received reports of the incident at approximately 10:37 p.m. on Wednesday.
According to the MNDF, a joint rescue operation involving the military and police was launched immediately after information was received that the vessel was taking on water.
The MNDF said efforts to keep the vessel afloat were unsuccessful because of sea conditions, and the vessel submerged while rescue personnel were at the scene.
There were eight people on board the vessel at the time of the incident. Seven were rescued.
The missing are:
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The captain of the vessel.
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An MNDF officer involved in the rescue operation.
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A police officer involved in the rescue operation.
"Continuous search and rescue operations for the missing individuals are currently underway by sea and air," the MNDF said.
The incident comes as rough weather continues to affect large parts of the Maldives.
Search operations are also continuing for two people who went missing after a landing craft capsized near K. Gaafaru last Friday.
