One fatality has been confirmed after a safari vessel sank enroute to capital Malé City from Bolifushi, on Sunday.

Speaking to RaajjeMV, Information Officer at Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) reported that the deceased has been identified as a 41-year-old foreigner.

A total of seven individuals were brought into the hospital due to the incident and reports indicate that 17 persons were onboard when the safari set off towards the capital, before being engulfed in the stormy waters and raging winds.

The incident was reported to the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) at around 8:39am on Sunday.

Those onboard were carried to safety to the capital city, onboard the MNDF Coastguard and another vessel.

This comes at a time the authority has cautioned against the bad weather prevailing nationwide.

Maldives Meteorological Service has been issuing a number of white, yellow and even orange alerts stemming from the precarious weather conditions. As such, a white alert was issued from Haa Alif to Addu City early Sunday, followed by a yellow alert through Haa Alif and Laamu atolls in the morning. An orange alert ensued on Sunday afternoon, after predicting rough seas and strong winds.

The department predicts strong winds and rough seas to prevail and has cautioned all, especially seafarers to always check the latest weather updates prior to traveling.

Several reports of incidents at sea have been reported at a time Maldives is enveloped in the bad weather of southwest monsoon.