Doubts raised over Ukulhas-Maalhos speedboat capsize
Although the police continue their search for the missing person, they have yet to disclose any information regarding him.
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By
Shahudha Mohamed
Atoll Times has revealed that there are questionable factors around the speedboat that capsized after it had left from Male on Thursday and the disappearance of a person in this incident.
According to the police, the speedboat was headed to AA. Ukulhas on Thursday afternoon along with two men, taking off from near Marry Brown on Boduthakurufaanu Magu in Male. One man had been reported missing on Thursday evening to the police by his family, reported to have gone missing since Thursday afternoon. The speedboat was found capsized near AA. Maalhos on Friday, and one man was found near Feridhoo in the same atoll.
Sequence of events:
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One of the men reportedly on the speedboat had gone missing on 5 October (Wednesday), since around 1pm, according to his family.
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The speedboat had allegedly left Male on 6 October (Thursday), at 1pm.
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Family of the two men files a missing person report with the police on October 6 (Thursday), around 8.50pm.
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MNDF reported the sighting of a capsized speedboat off the southern coast of Maalhos around 2.40 pm on October 7 (Friday).
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October 7, 3.37pm: Police reported that the speedboat was found near Maalhos and a man was found off Feridhoo.
The man found was treated at the Feridhoo Health Centre, but the other is still missing.
Police confirmed that the man still missing in the incident is the same man reported missing by his family.
Those who travel to any part of Alifu Alifu Atoll will not require to load so much fuel in reserve onboard, even if they travelled to and fro from the atoll on a speedboat with a capacity of 45 passengers.
Several questions unanswered
Several people who spoke to Atoll Times from Maalhos and Ukulhas have noted that there are many questions surrounding the incident:
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Neither of the men aboard the speedboat belonged to any island in Alif Alif, and the capsized boat was found in a location far from their alleged destination.
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The excess fuel on board, considering the speedboat size and the number of passengers on board.
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The speedboat had capsized in the open sea off the southern coast of Maalhos.
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Neither the police nor the survivor has revealed any information about the missing man.
Ukulhas unlikely to be the destination
Although the police were informed that the speedboat was headed to Ukulhas, Ukulhas council said that neither the vessel nor the people belonged to Ukulhas.
The trip to Ukulhas from Male would take around 90 minutes at a normal speed. People who normally travel in the area questioned how the boat had lost its course and gone missing for 24 hours on such a short distance trip. Another suspicion arose regarding the location where the speedboat was found capsized.
"There is no reason why a speedboat headed to Ukulhas from Male south harbour area should have diverted to the rocky side of Maalhos island. We've been at sea since we were 14, so the question arises for all of us," a boat captain who takes tourists on fishing trips and provides ferry services between Ukulhas and Male told Atoll Times anonymously.
He added:
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South west winds would not have caused the speedboat to drift in that direction.
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Winds are consistent from the south west direction these days.
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With GPS and internet available on phone devices, even wind direction could be checked; so, it is impossible to not know where you are headed when your destination is so close by.
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It is more likely they were headed elsewhere.
He was shivering terribly and his arms and legs had open sores from being immersed in the water so long.
Speedboat had reserve fuel
The capsized speedboat was first found by a fishing vessel from Maalhos. They had searched the area when they saw the submerged speedboat, looking for any casualties. When they did not find anyone nearby, they travelled back to the island and left again on a larger fishing boat to cuff the capsized speedboat back to Maalhos.
A person familiar with speedboats described it as a Gulf Craft speed boat with a capacity of 36 passengers. Photos of the vessel confirm this. People reported that the speedboat had a large amount of petrol when it was taken to Maalhos.
"A 36 passenger capacity speedboat will require 700 litres of petrol. In addition, there were two 200 litre barrels and another 20 litre oil containers on the deck of the speedboat," a frequent traveller between Male and Alif Alif atoll described.
He said that in addition to a full tank, there were about 600 litres of reserve fuel on board the speedboat.
He added that a 38-passenger speedboat would require 200 litres of oil, to run three engines and travel at top speed from Male to Ukulhas.
"A boat travelling [from Male] to any part of the Alifu Alifu atoll will not require that much fuel in reserve for even a speedboat with a capacity of 45 passengers," he assured.
The Ukulhas boat captain speculated that the speedboat had probably capsized when the oil on deck had shifted to one side with a large wave and caused the boat to roll as well.
Another man who spoke from Maalhos said that considering the large quantity of petrol on board, he believed the boat had headed to the open sea area outside of Maalhos.
Survivor had drifted for a long time
A man speaking from Feridhoo said that the man who had drifted to Feridhoo had first met with a group of picnickers on the beach. He had reached the island far from the picnickers but had approached them and asked for food.
"They then gave him juice and water," said the man who spoke from Feridhoo.
"He was shivering terribly and his arms and legs had open sores, like you would get from being immersed in the water too long," the man described how the picnickers had found the cast away.
He said that the man had then asked to make a phone call, and seeing his condition, the picnickers had alerted the island council.
The cast away man was described as having long hair and wearing a t-shirt with a pair of shorts.
The man had reportedly reached Feridhoo after his speedboat had capsized near Maalhos by clinging on to a sea buoy.
Although the police continue their search for the missing person, they have yet to disclose any information regarding him.
Police tweeted on Friday night regarding the matter that the missing person’s family believes he had left Male on a speedboat with a friend.
