A local fishing vessel from Gaafu Alifu atoll Dhaandhoo broke in half amidst a trip.
The 98-feet fishing boat, broke in half around midnight on Sunday while travelling outside of Kudalafaree in the same atoll. The fishing boat had 19 people onboard at the time of the incident.
Zuhair Ahmed, the owner of the boat, told Mihaaru News that the passengers were rescued onto a vessel from Dhaandhoo. All members are accounted for and in good health, Zuhair added.
"I will have to speak with the crew members to figure out what happened to the boat. This is a sizeable loss; it would be approximately MVR 2 million," Zuhair commented.
He also said two vessels from the island, Sea King and Masfahi, have been dispatched to bring the damaged boat back to the island.
One of the rescuers speculated that the vessel may have collapsed due to the strong tides when a wave crashed on its hull.
There have been multiple incidents of fishing vessels splitting in half during rough seas. Experts claim this is related to mechanical errors made during boat building.
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