The Foreign Ministry said last night that it is working to secure foreign assistance for the search operation for the three people who went missing at sea during Wednesday night's marine incident. 

An MNDF Officer, a police officer, and the captain of the boat went missing while engaged in rescue efforts after the 'Friends 4' supply boat began sinking while travelling from Th. Madifushi to Huvadhu atoll. 

Police received reports that the boat was taking on water and at risk of sinking at around 10:40pm last Wednesday. 

At the time of the incident, there were eight persons on board the vessel: the boat's captain, Mohamed Hamdhoon, and seven foreign crew members. The seven crew members were rescued, but Hamdhoon went missing while attempting to save the boat from sinking. 

MNDF officer Ibrahim Ahmed and Police officer Ali Nafiu, who were also working with Hamdhoon to bail out water from the sinking vessel, also went missing. 

MNDF said yesterday that they had failed to locate the three men as of yet despite having searched 5,212 nautical miles via air and 1,070,10 square nautical miles by sea as of now. 

In a post on social media, Foreign Ministry asserted that their first prioirity is locating the three persons who remain missing, adding that they are coordinating with all relevant agencies in support of the search operation. 

The Foreign Ministry stated that they are engaging with bilateral partners to secure assistance and technical support for the search operation. 

MNDF has said that the boat capsized 4.1 nautical miles outside of GA. Kudalafari. They estimate that the area has a depth of 1,645m (5,489 feet). MNDF said that if the boat has sunk to this depth, it would be impossible to recover the wreck.