Boat captain in Summer Island-Reethi Rah accident remanded by 10 days
16 ޖޫން 2017 | ހުކުރު 18:21The court had remanded the captain by 10 days
One of the injured individuals being carried on a stretcher on his way to the ADK Hospital, on 31st May
The Criminal Court has remanded the captain of the boat that left Summer Island Resort and crashed into a docked vessel in Kaafu atoll injuring 15 people.
The court had remanded the captain by 10 days while authorities are also working to deport four expatriate crewmen who were illegally employed.
The incident had revealed the workers' employment status and the police had pursued deporting them with the Department of Immigration and Emigration on 10th June.
The police are investigating the accident.
The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said at a joint press conference with the Transport Authority on 31st May that both the speed boat travelling from Summer Island Resort, as well as the vessel docked at Reethi Rah Resort are at fault.
Colonel Mohamed Ibrahim, of the Maldivian Coast Guard unit, said that the boat had been travelling faster than the advised speed, given choppy sea conditions, and that the vessel docked at the resort was entirely unlit.
He had noted that the damage caused by the accident could have been significantly limited if both vessel operators had given care and attention to the weather conditions and other such factors.
The boat was travelling to Summer Island Resort, to the north of Kaafu atoll, when it crashed into the vessel.
The MNDF had dispatched rescue officers as soon as the incident was reported to them, and had then said that their sea ambulance services were active in transporting the injured individuals for treatment back to the capital.
The MNDF reported that most of the injured individuals are members of Summer Island's staff.
The ADK Hospital said that some of the patients had sustained severe injuries, and four were critical condition.
