The people aboard a foreign vessel found adrift outside of Alif Alif Atoll on Saturday night, were Somalis, revealed Maldives Police Service on Sunday.
The Maldivian Coast Guard had rescued three people aboard the drifting dinghy, which was discovered 60 nautical miles west of the atoll.
According to the police, all food and water had been depleted aboard the dinghy when it was found. One of the Somali nationals on board had been in very poor condition at the time, though he has since improved.
All three are currently in the custody of Police in Dhoonidhoo.
"They can't speak English, and so we haven't been able to find out why or for how long they were adrift," said a Police official.
Drifting Somali vessels are occasionally found in Maldivian territory, including an illegal fishing boat earlier this year. While Somalia has a notorious reputation for piracy, the true objectives of such vessels discovered or captured within the island nation's boundaries have not been confirmed.
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