Gemanafushi boat breaks in half

A fishing boat from GA. Gemanafushi, Orchid 707, broke in half on Saturday, in the waters off Addu City.

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) said boat had been around 25 nautical miles to the west of Addu City when the incident took place.

MNDF said the front and the back of the boat “completely broke apart” in the incident.

The boat had been travelling with 23 crew members at the time; 10 Maldivian and 13 foreign nationals.

MNDF said that all 23 people were unharmed in the incident.

The Coast Guard First Interceptor Craft “Dhoshimeyna” is operating at the scene.

Gemanafushi Council’s president Ibrahim Nashid told Sun that it is not yet clear what caused the boat to break in two.

He said that fishing boats are travelling to the area to assist the boat.

Nashid said the ‘Orchid 707’ is one of the top fishing boats in Gemanafushi.

The boat is captained by Hassan Zahir, who was the youngest fisherman in Maldives in 2016.

Though rare, incidents of boats breaking apart have taken place in Maldives in the past, including one in Gemanafushi.