The incident occurred on Wednesday night, shortly after the vessel began its journey from Thaa and Laamu atolls to Male'. Of the 18 people on board, all were rescued except one, a 25-year-old Ali Mushfiq from Laamu Maavah, who remains missing.
The fire that destroyed the vessel Holhudhoo Boat was caused by a short circuit in the generator, and it took only five minutes for the entire vessel to be engulfed in flames, the owner of the boat, Waheed said today.
The incident occurred on Wednesday night, shortly after the vessel began its journey from Thaa and Laamu atolls to Male'. Of the 18 people on board, all were rescued except one, a 25-year-old Ali Mushfiq from Laamu Maavah, who remains missing.
Speaking with Mihaaru News, Waheed explained that the boat had been officially leased to a person from Maavah since November last year. Due to some unresolved issues regarding lease payments, trips were now arranged in collaboration between both parties.
This particular trip was coordinated for a journey to Kandoodhoo and Hirilandhoo. However, the vessel began to experience issues while travelling at high speed off the coast of Hirilandhoo.
According to Waheed, he had been monitoring the boat's journey through the “FollowMe” app. About 45 minutes into the trip, he noticed the vessel had slowed down and stopped, accompanied by a battery alert notification on his phone. Within minutes of that alert, the vessel was ablaze.
“I called the crew at 8:57 pm. No one answered at that time,” Waheed said.
He suspects the fire originated from a generator short circuit. The generators were located at the rear of the boat. He emphasized that no chemicals or flammable substances were stored there. Although the boat usually carried large quantities of dried fish to Male', this time only a small load had been taken.
“There was someone in charge of monitoring the generator. He checked the room and found nothing unusual. He had just stepped out to have coffee when the fire started,” Waheed said.
There were nine crew members working on the vessel. Waheed said that no one had caused the incident intentionally.
“I believe it was an electrical short. No one saw anything suspicious. I am sure no one would deliberately do harm,” he said.
The vessel, built 17 years ago, had recently undergone significant renovations. This was only the second trip since Waheed completed the repair work himself. He revealed that the boat was insured for MVR 4 million, which would help cover the financial loss but the emotional toll remains heavy.
“This is the biggest investment I’ve made,” Waheed said.
“I did the repair work with my own hands. It was not easy. I have been through other incidents like grounding, but this is the most painful, losing a young passenger.”
While many view insurance negatively, Waheed shared that his insurance company contacted him first after the fire broke out. He urged others with large investments to consider insuring their property.
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