Man suffers burns in Kurendhoo boat fire

A man has suffered burns in a fire incident on a local fishing boat in Lhaviyani Kurendhoo.

A source from Kurendhoo told Sun that the boat, named “Eeman”, caught fire around 5:30 p.m. and that a man onboard had suffered burns to his arm. The man has been treated and released from the island health center, the source said.

He said the fire ignited when the man onboard had lit a cigarette while seated near two water pumps, which were running to supply fresh water to the bait onboard the boat. The two fully fueled pumps had caught fire, causing the man to suffer burns. The man survived by jumping into the harbour, the he said.

The source said the fire was soon brought under control by a group of people near the harbour area. He said the boat has sustained a lot of damage, needing a lot repair before it can take to sea again. Most of the fishing equipment have also been burned, the source said.