One dead after safari boat sinks off Thilafushi

A safari boat sank off the coast K. Thilafushi on Sunday, leaving one passenger dead. 

The safari boat, Handy Cruiser, sank approximately four nautical miles to the south west of Thilafushi. 

An official from Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) told Sun that seven people were taken to the hospital in response to the incident, one of whom died. 

The official identified the deceased as a 41-year-old male of foreign nationality. 

The nationality of the deceased has yet to be disclosed through official channels. 

IGMH confirmed they are treating the six remaining patients, but declined to disclose any details citing patient confidentiality. 

Handy Cruiser was travelling to Male’ City with 17 people onboard when it began to take in water near Bolifushi.  

The incident was reported to Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) at 08:39 am. The MNDF Male’ Area Coastguard Squadron responded to the incident. 

MNDF said the boat began to take in water and sank due to heavy rain and rough seas. 

The passengers and crew members have been transported to Male’ City. 

The incident took place with an orange alert in place warning of strong winds and rough seas across a large part of Maldives. MNDF issued a statement earlier this Sunday urging seafarers to be cautious, citing multiple reports of incidents at sea amid the bad weather conditions.