A newlywed couple who survived a shipwreck have said that they shared a life jacket after their boat sank on their honeymoon cruise in the Maldives with nearly 50 people on board.
Doctor Caio Gomes and his wife, businesswoman Fernanda Diniz, from Brazil, were on their honeymoon in the Maldives when their boat sank while being ferried from Dhigurah Island to the capital, Malé on March 2.
Speaking to Brazilian media, the couple said they had to share a life jacket until they were rescued, with distressing footage showing them in rough waters as they wait to be rescued
Gomes said that no one was injured but that the ordeal was traumatic nonetheless.
He said: ‘Nobody got hurt. There were no injuries, no scratches, nothing, just psychological trauma, because it was a huge blow for us.’
The doctor said that they had been sailing for approximately 40 minutes after leaving one of the islands when the boat hit a wave too hard.
‘When we hit that wave, a really big wave came into the boat, but it didn’t sink us right away’, he said.
‘After that, we kept sailing for about 20 minutes.
A newlywed couple who survived a shipwreck have said that they shared a life jacket after their boat sank on their honeymoon cruise in the Maldives
Distressing footage shows the couple floating in the water as they wait to be rescued
Picture shows Doctor Caio Gomes and his wife, businesswoman Fernanda Diniz
‘But the boat slowly started to lean to the right as it sailed.
‘So, I think what happened was that the boat hit a wave hard and something broke in the boat’s gutter and water got into that compartment.’
Gomes said that they were not told that they were sinking but were simply told to put on their life jackets and jump into the water.
Gomes said: ‘The exit from the boat was peaceful, no one was too scared and no one was hurt.’
But he said that once they got into the water, neither his nor his wife’s life jackets inflated and it was not possible to fill them with air.
He said: ‘When we got out of the boat, we started swimming and found a loose life jacket. We managed to hold on to the life jacket and floated on it, and it held us both up.’
He said that they were in the water for about 30 to 40 minutes before they were rescued by another vessel.
The newlywed says that he lost his backpack containing his and his wife’s passports and they had to file a police report so that they could travel.
Video shows people with life jackets in the waters in the Maldives, March 2
Other unsettling videos of the shipwreck show how panicked tourists screamed as the packed boat began to sink.
Gao, a 27-year-old passenger, said the conditions on the water were very rough that morning.
Some began jumping overboard themselves, fearing that they would not have time to get out as water started to rise above the windows.
‘Everyone was actually very panicked, especially some foreign tourists because the captain did not give any instructions,’ Gao said.
‘As I’m a diver, I helped them inflate their life jackets and made sure everyone stayed together.’
The ship sank within just five minutes of all the passengers vacating, Gao said.
Rescue boats were quickly sent out to help the victims, with four children counted among the passengers.
But the desperate operation lasted over an hour and a half due to the poor weather.
The incident occurred on March 2, while a yellow alert for thunderstorms and strong winds was issued for the central region of the Maldives.
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.