Speedboat catches fire near Biyaadhoo resort

A speedboat carrying eight tourists from the Biyaadhoo Island Resort in Malé atoll caught fire on Saturday afternoon.

The military’s fire and rescue service was alerted around 1:30pm, Major Adnan Mohamed, spokesman of the Maldives National Defence Force, told The Maldives Independent.

The fire broke out shortly after the speedboat left the resort, Adnan said. In addition to the eight tourists, three crew members were also on board the vessel, all of whom escaped unhurt.

Resort staff assisted in rescuing the passengers and controlling the fire. Adnan said the fire destroyed the speedboat, which then started to sink.

Biyaadhoo is located south of the capital, 30 minutes by speedboat.

According to online paper CNM, the speedboat was used by a guesthouse on the nearby island of Maafushi. An eyewitness said it had taken tourists from Maafushi for snorkelling on Biyaadhoo’s reef.

Two weeks ago, a speedboat used to carry tourists to guesthouses in Maafushi, an inhabited island famous for pioneering midmarket tourism in the country, caught fire just outside Malé’s eastern harbour, injuring two crewmembers and a tour guide.

In September last year, some 24 people, including Chinese, Japanese, and Indian tourists, were injured after a speedboat caught fire near the Hulhulé airport island.

The speedboat was en route to the Club Med Kani resort from the airport and caught fire due to a battery malfunction.