Fishing boat sinks north east of Male

A yellow-fin tuna fishing boat from Alif Alif Rasdhoo has sunk approximately14 nautical miles north east of the capital Male’.

Deputy Spokesperson for the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Major Hussain Ali told Sun that a local fishing boat named Rabeeu sank early Saturday morning after all efforts to reduce the boat's flooding had failed.

He said that the boat had 11 crew members and all men have been safely transported to Male'.

A crewman from the boat told Sun that the 73-feet-long fishing boat started to sink around 5:50 p.m. yesterday evening after a huge wave crashed into the boat’s engine area. The boat went down with all its equipment, he said.

In light of the recent bad weather throughout the country, MNDF has advised the public to pay special attention to weather when travelling at night, for cargo ships to carry lighter loads and to always have lifejackets readily available, for all vessels to carry appropriate drainage equipment and to check the communication sets before setting out to sea.