Ten people rescued after boat runs aground off uninhabited island in GA. Atoll

Ten people were successfully rescued by the authorities on early Sunday, after the boat they were travelling on ran aground a reef off an uninhabited island in GA. Atoll.

The incident was reported at around 12:40 am Sunday.

According to the MNDF, the boat ‘Dheraha’ was travelling from Male’ City to Thinadhoo City with a crew of 10 when it ran aground on the reef of GA. Fenafutta, and began sinking.

The back of the boat was submerged when the report came in.

A team from the GA. Atoll Police and the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) Southern Area Command Coast Guard Fourth Squadron was deployed to rescue the people on the sinking boat.

According to the MNDF, 10-member crew of the boat was composed of four Maldivians and six expatriates.

Three of them went to Fenafutta on a dinghy boat.

MNDF said that seven of the crew members were safely rescued and taken on board a Coast Guard harbor craft vessel at 01:53 am, and the three who went to the uninhabited island were also transferred to the vessel at around 02:10 am.

The boat’s owner sent another vessel ‘Swift’, to assist in refloating it at around 04:22 am, and the 10 crew members were subsequently moved to the second vessel.

The Command Coast Guard Fourth Squadron is assisting the boat’s owner in refloating it.

The MNDF was not immediately available for comment regarding the incident, which came amid an active Southwest Monsoon, locally known as the Hulhangu Monsoon, with Maldives Meteorological Service warning of torrential rain and possible flooding across the Maldives through Wednesday.