News Desk
MALÉ — A supply vessel carrying construction aggregates from Laamu Atoll to Gaafu Atoll sank early Thursday morning after taking on water, prompting an intensive search-and-rescue operation for three missing individuals, including a police officer, a soldier, and the boat’s captain.
According to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), the vessel, named “Friend 4,” was transporting a cargo of stones and gravel with eight people on board when severe wave action caused it to flood.
MNDF confirmed that seven individuals have been successfully rescued. However, three personnel who were aboard and actively engaged in emergency response and salvage efforts—a police officer, a member of the MNDF, and the vessel’s master—remain unaccounted for.
The incident unfolded as security personnel boarded the stricken craft to assist the crew and prevent the sinking. The MNDF and marine police units are scouring the area where the vessel went down to locate the missing men.
The tragedy comes amid a broader pattern of severe maritime accidents triggered by adverse weather across the archipelago. Recent reporting highlights that severe Southwest Monsoon squalls have battered the region, leaving two Indians missing after a commercial landing craft overturned in turbulent seas near Kaafu Atoll.
