MNDF: Search being halted for crew member reported mistakenly

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) says it had earlier reported that the search operation to locate the crew member who went missing from a local vessel ‘Seamax’ traveling from Addu City to Male’ City had been halted by mistake.

In a message to the media on Friday, MNDF said the search operation to locate the missing crew member had been halted. The authority later withdrew the statement, acknowledging it was an error, and apologized for the mistake.

It further detailed that locations where crew member could possibly wash up had been searched as part of the operation today. Moreover, the authority said it was coordinating with international vessels traveling through the area.

Earlier, the authority said it had covered a 304 nautical miles area as part of the search operation on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the area surrounding Fuvahmulah City on Thursday.

However, the missing crew member has yet to be found despite the vast search.

Prior to this, Maldives Police Service said the disappearance of the crew member came to notice when the vessel was eight miles out of Fuvahmulah City.

Police further confirmed Raj Kumar was present on the vessel when it embarked from Addu City at 23:30 hrs on Monday evening, and he had spoken with the vessel’s captain around 01:15 hrs on Tuesday early hours.

The case is also under investigation by the Police.

Notably, Maldives is presently experiencing a bad weather spell. Henceforth, authorities have urged seafarers to exercise caution.