Coast Guard vessel sinks while assisting Rasdhoo fishing boat

A Coast Guard speedboat has sunk while assisting the Alif Alif Rasdhoo yellow fin tuna fishing boat that sank approximately 14 nautical miles north east of the capital Male’ late last night.

Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has revealed the their Habour Craft Launch No. 115 of the MNDF Male’ Area Coast Guard Squadron sank due to extreme weather around 11:30 p.m. last night, while trying to assist a vessel in distress.

The State’s military arm stated that they salvaged the coast guard vessel after strenuous search efforts last night, and that it is now being towed back to the capital Male’. No one was hurt in the incident, MNDF said.

Local fishing boat Rabeeu from Alif Alif Rasdhoo sank approximately 14 nautical miles north east of Male’ early Saturday morning after persistent efforts by crewmen and MNDF officers to reduce the boat's flooding had failed.

According to MNDF, the boat had 11 crew members and all men have safely been transported to Male'.

A crewman from the boat told Sun that the 73-foot-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.