A joint search operation is currently underway by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and the Maldives Police Service to locate three individuals—a military officer, a police officer, and a boat captain—who went missing after a supply vessel sank in Maldivian waters.
The incident occurred when the supply boat “Friend 4”, traveling from Laamu Atoll to Huvadhu Atoll, took on water and sank. The two officers and the boat’s captain were actively engaged in an operation to save the vessel when it submerged, resulting in all three going missing at the moment the boat went down.
In an official statement posted on X, the MNDF confirmed that extensive search-and-rescue efforts are being carried out continuously across both air and sea routes.
To cover the search area from above, authorities are using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs/drones) alongside a Maldivian aircraft to conduct wide-area sweeps. Concurrently, MNDF Coastguard vessels and police boats are actively patrolling the surrounding waters without interruption in a relentless attempt to locate the missing men.
