Two weeks after supply boat sinking, search continues for three missing

Two weeks into the incident, Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF), on Friday, has confirmed that search operations for three men, including rescue officers, who went missing in the sinking of a supply vessel in Huvadhoo Sea, remains ongoing.

The eight-crew ‘Friend 4’ had set off from K. Thilafushi on August 2, carrying construction material such as rock aggregate to islands. The boat sent out a distress call to the police at around 10:40 pm on August 5, after it began taking in water as it travelled through the Huvadhoo Sea after setting off from Th. Madifushi.

The incident took place 4.1 nautical miles off the northeast of GA. Kudarikilu.

Seven of the eight crew members on the vessel were successfully rescued, while three people, including a police officer and solider involved in the rescue operation, went missing.

This prompted MNDF to launch an extensive search operation to find 35-year-old Mohamed Hamdhoon from Th. Madifushi, 33-year-old Police Sergeant Ali Nafiu, and 39-year-old MNDF Staff Sergeant Ibrahim Ahmed.

MNDF has previously stated that the prospects of finding the missing individuals were “slim”, as the vessel sank to a depth of more than 1,600 metres, which is beyond the reach of divers and conventional military submarines. Thursday marked exactly two weeks since their disappearance.

Responding to inquiries from Sun on Friday, MNDF confirmed that search operations are continuing without interruption. Authorities stated that the search is being conducted by both air and sea, although they did not disclose specific details regarding the total area covered thus far.

Notably, Home Minister Ali Ihusaan and Commissioner of Police Ahmed Mohamed met with the parents of missing Sergeant Naafiu on Thursday. The Minister and Commissioner also met with Sergeant Ali Naafiu's wife and child on August 12^th.