A man who led a crew to an uninhabited island in Lhaviyani atoll to collect sand from its shores has drowned after falling into its lagoon, for reasons that are yet unclear.

55-year-old Abdulla Ismail, a Naifaru island resident who collects sand professionally, travelled to Veyvah island with a crew of hired-hands.

One of these men, native to Banglesh, said Abdulla had ‘fallen’ into the water while the crew were all loading up sacks of sand, though they initially believed he had dived in.

They dived in after Abdulla failed to surface by himself. The men told Naifaru island’s local government council that Abdulla had already drowned when they managed to retrieve him.

The council said that there are no external signs of injury on Abdulla’s body.