A ferry sank leaving scores of tourists stranded in the sea at a tropical holiday hotspot.
The vessel, named Huvafen, was ferrying 45 passengers and three crew members when it was hit by a huge wave that caused damage to the engine.
Four young children were among the passengers.
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The ferry speed boat sank while transferring passengers from Dhigurah Island in the Maldives to the capital Malé.
Gao, a Chinese diving instructor who now lives in Australia, said the rescue boats arrived quickly.
But the operation lasted over an hour and a half due to bad weather.
After enjoying a diving trip in the Maldives, she said she was on board the ferry with plans of flying back to Melbourne from Malé.
Gao, 27, explained: “The boat left at 7am and was expected to arrive in an hour and a half.
“There were nearly 50 people on board, and each person had one or two large suitcases.
“The weather was not very good that day, and the sea was very rough.”
She said a large wave hit the cabin at around 7.40am that apparently caused damage to the engine.
At around 8.10am, the boat began to tilt at a steep angle and water entered the cabin.
She said: “At 8.20am, more and more water entered the cabin, and the water level outside was almost level with the windows.
“Everyone was rushing to inflate their life jackets.
“At about 8.40a, the water was above the windows and the whole boat was tilting.
“Everyone was afraid they would not be able to get out in time, some people started to jump overboard on their own.
“The captain then said ‘Get ready to jump overboard’.
“After everyone was in the water, the boat completely sank within five minutes.
“Many tourists could not swim or inflate their life jackets, and they were choking in the water.
“Everyone was actually very panicked, especially some foreign tourists because the captain did not give any instructions.
“As I’m a diver, I helped them inflate their life jackets and made sure everyone stayed together.”
Gao said the water was about 100 feet deep and there were no shallows nearby.
She stated: “Three rescue boats arrived at around 9am, but the waves were too big for people to get on board.
“The rescue lasted about an hour and a half.
She said her purse, laptop, passport, filming gear, and diving equipment all sank to the bottom of the sea, and she needed to return to China to apply for a new passport soon.
It happened on Sunday (2 Mar), while a yellow alert for thunderstorms and strong winds was issued for the central region of the Maldives, as reported by Need To Know.
The police stated that “all passengers and crew were taken back to Dhigurah Island and are in good health”.
They also confirmed that an investigation into the dramatic sinking is underway.
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