The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has disclosed that the likelihood of locating the three individuals missing from the “Friend 4” supply boat, which foundered in the Huvadhu Sea, remains low. The missing persons include the vessel’s captain, Mohamed Hamdhoon, along with MNDF officer Ibrahim Ahmed and Police officer Ali Naafiu, who were both on board assisting at the time of the incident. While all other individuals who managed to exit the vessel were successfully rescued, the boat submerged in an area approximately 1,600 meters deep—a depth beyond the operational limits of human divers and conventional military submarines.
An extensive search and rescue operation has been conducted across a vast area by air and sea. This operation utilized the Maldives National Defence Force’s TB2 drones, the Coast Guard Ship Imaduddin, Maldivian aircraft, and a specialized P-8 Poseidon aircraft from the United States Navy. The search efforts comprehensively covered the Huvadhu Sea, as well as the reefs and shorelines of the surrounding atolls.
