President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Thursday evening met with the families of those still awaiting word on their loved ones following the MV Barima tragedy, providing an update on the ongoing search, rescue and recovery operation as authorities continue efforts to access the submerged vessel.

Addressing relatives, the president said teams encountered significant challenges during Thursday’s operation, with difficult underwater conditions affecting divers engaged in the recovery effort.

“Earlier today, in our attempt to move the wreck, we had some challenges for us. With the divers going down all the time, we have a number of divers who got sick. So a number of divers had to come back in,” President Ali explained.