The reason for not using the Dornier aircraft donated by India in the search for Mohamed Naish from Addu city who went missing while looking for lobsters cannot be stated, the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) has said.
The operation is using an aircraft from the Aviation Academy in Addu. When a graph showing the flight pattern of the plane in the operation was posted on social media, some people questioned whether the aircraft was equipped for such an operation.
When asked why the Dornier aircraft or helicopters were not used in the operation, the MNDF said it did not have any comment.
Flight path of aircraft from Aviation Academy.
Asked whether the Aviation Academy plane was equipped for search and rescue operations, the MNDF media official said he would "have to check".
On December 17, President's Office Spokesman Mohamed Shaheeb said the government has not ordered a stop to the operations of the Dornier aircraft and helicopters by Indian soldiers.
When he was questioned on the issue, Shaheeb said the government has not ordered the Dornier or helicopters to not be used.
The Dornier aircraft donated by India is fitted with equipment needed for such operations and operated by crew from a specialized team.
Naish went missing while hunting lobsters around 10:45 pm on December 21.
According to the MNDF, 23.46 square nautical miles via air, 490 square nautical miles by sea and one square nautical mile by diving have been covered in the search operation.
