Princess Laala, a safari vessel operating as the popular Maafushi Floating Bar, ran aground and broke apart off Kaafu Maafushi on Friday morning after its anchor gave way during severe weather.
According to reports, the vessel’s anchor became dislodged amid rough sea conditions, causing it to drift toward the outer breakwater of Maafushi Harbour. It eventually struck the sea wall, ran aground on the reef, and broke apart within approximately 10 minutes.
Videos circulating on social media show several people jumping into the sea after the vessel struck the reef.
Maldives Police Service said they received a report at 10:15 a.m. that a safari vessel anchored off Maafushi had broken free from its mooring and had been pushed into the outer breakwater by strong winds and rough seas.
There were six people on board at the time of the incident. Police confirmed that no injuries were reported.
Princess Laala is regularly anchored off Maafushi and operates as a floating bar serving tourists visiting the island.
The incident occurred while the Maldives Meteorological Service (MET Office) had issued a Yellow Alert, warning of severe weather conditions with strong winds reaching up to 50 mph.
According to the MET Office, a low-pressure trough affecting the northern and south-eastern regions of the Maldives has generated widespread rain clouds across the western parts of the country. The weather service has forecast unsettled weather across most of the Maldives today, with adverse conditions expected to persist for the next two days.
