A small dive boat that went missing with three people on board near Meemu Raiymandhoo island has been found after 14 hours of drone operations.
Police said the "Farihi 2" was reported missing around 10:00 pm on Friday. The Coast Guard began searching for the boat at 11:20 pm and the drone was put to use at 2:00 am, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said.
MNDF said it had searched 440 acres of nautical miles to find the boat. The boat was spotted on Saturday some 23 nautical miles off Raiymandhoo.
“The boat was located by the MNDF Air Corps military UAV and MNDF Coast Guard vessels,” the MNDF said. "The boat was found 23 nautical miles off Meemu Raiymandhoo with the engine malfunctioned."
The boat went missing while fishing, the MNDF said. They set off for fishing near Meemu Maduvvari.
