1,000 nautical miles searched, no sign of Jailam

Maldives National Defense Force has announced the authority has searched 1,000 nautical miles so far to look for the young man who went missing diving for sea cucumbers near A. A. Huruelhi on February 16.

Ahmed Jailam from Sh. Lhaimagu went near the uninhabited island of Huravelhi to dive for sea cucumbers along with nine other men on the boat “Manfaa” on February 16. He was reported missing to MNDF at 3:45 pm that day.

During a press conference held this Sunday morning at the Coastguard Building, Colonel Mohamed Saleem said MNDF, along with assistance from private parties were searching for Jailam non-stop.

Saleem said that Jailam’s companions on the trip reported that he had no prior training in diving.

He said that Jailam, along with two other men dived into the water to search for sea cucumbers at approximately 1:15 pm that day, and was supposed to surface at 2 pm.

Jailam was reported missing after he failed to surface.

Saleem said that the Coastguard were immediately dispatched to the area, and that they were receiving assistance from nearby resorts.

He said the authority started air search and rescue efforts using Maldivian Airline’s sea planes and MNDF helicopters on Saturday.

MNDF has requested seafarers travelling the area to be on the lookout for any sign of Jailam, and has asked anyone with any relevant information to contact the authority.