The fishermen who were brought to Dhidhdhoo island on Tuesday night after having been involved in an accident while out at sea, have now been transferred to the Kulhudhuffushi Hospital in Haa Dhaal atoll. 

Mohamed Hashim, interim head of the medical facility in Dhidhdhoo, said that their condition is improving but were transferred to the hospital in Kulhudhuffushi, which is better equipped and better staffed, for further care. 

The Maldives National Defence Force said that the men were crew members of a vessel named ‘Arc’, which was 12 nautical miles from northern-most Thuraakunu island when the incident occurred.  

Other members of the crew said that the men experienced difficulty breathing after emerging from scraping the vessel’s hull.

The incident was reported to the Maldives National Defence Force at about 6:40pm on Tuesday and they had dispatched a team to their rescue.

Rescue officers say that they were taken to Dhidhdhoo island by 08:35pm and doctors described their condition as 'serious'.