Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF)'s spokesperson Major Ibrahim Azim stated on Thursday that the search for the missing boat captain Mohamed of TTS Faana, that run aground a reef near Kagi in Kaafu Atoll on January 5, was still ongoing.
According to Azim, although the search has continued till now, no items in relation to the captain's disappearance were uncovered later.
Despite several attempts at floating the vessel, TTS Faana is still aground the reef. MNDF has now reportedly ceased all efforts to relocate the vessel off the reef, as it is lodged in shallow water.
While the search for Mohamed is ongoing, there is a lot of unanswered questions surrounding his disappearance. Although Maldives Police Service announced that the case was under investigation, authorities have yet to reveal any progress.
The possibility of foul play in Mohamed's disappearance is believed to be high as TTS Faana running aground the reef was not reported to the owner of the vessel or the authorities until over a day after the incident. Authorities only knew the state of the vessel after arriving on-site in response to the missing persons report.
MNDF was notified that only two expatriates were aboard the vessel in addition to Mohamed. However, according to some crew members from vessels passing by TTS Faana at the time, there was another local on board as well. Police later confirmed these statements.
Captains on some of the aforementioned vessels further noted that they offered help but was rejected by the crew of TTS Faana, which led them to believe that authorities were notified and help was on the way.
Till now, MNDF's diving teams have recovered a blood-stained towel and a jumbo garbage bag containing a blood-stained knife, a shattered phone display and burned papers. MNDF handed over all the evidence to Police for their investigation.
However, Police have not answered any questions by reporters regarding the progress of the investigation.
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