A young man is missing after a cargo boat named “Hodhudhoo Boat” from L. Maavah caught fire while en route to Male’, according to the island council. The boat was carrying 18 passengers when it caught fire, and military personnel from Kadhdhoo are currently responding. Maavah Council President Ahmed Moosa said the boat caught fire after departing from Hirilandhoo on its way to Male’.
“All the responsible people on the boat are from Maavah. They were traveling between Th. atoll and Male’. According to information from Th. Hirilandhoo, the fire started tonight after they departed. No one is answering their phones when called. The latest information is that everyone except one person has been found. The missing person is reportedly a young man from Maavah,” said Ahmed Moosa. He added that the entire boat is now engulfed in flames. All passengers were from Maavah.
Everyone reportedly jumped into the sea when the fire broke out. However, one young man is still missing with no news of his whereabouts, according to Ahmed Moosa. The missing person is identified as 25-year-old Ali Mushfig Mohamed from L. Maavah. The MNDF confirmed all. The MNDF confirmed all others have been found. Ahmed Moosa said the fire initially started where the life jackets were stored, so passengers were unable to access life jackets.
“There’s an uninhabited island called Th. Kafidho, and we’re hearing the fire started around there. The whole boat has now burned down completely. It was a large boat that could accommodate people on three levels. We’re hearing the fire started where the life jackets were, so if they couldn’t get life jackets from that area, everyone who jumped into the sea would be in a very difficult situation. The missing young man is not very experienced in the water,” said Ahmed Moosa.
