Search for motorsport champ Hari Singh enters 6th day after Maldives speedboat mishap

The search for India’s famous rally driver, Hari Singh, continued for the sixth day in and around Felidhoo island in the Vaavu Atoll of the Maldives on Wednesday. Hari was involved in a tragic life threatening speedboat capsize incident near the Felidhoo island on the night of March 19.
Maldivian authorities have extended the search radius in an effort to spot the 59-year-old motorsport figure.
Three people were rescued following the incident, while Hari and decorated sailor and former naval officer Commander Mahesh Ramachandran went untraceable. Among the rescued was Indian business tycoon Gautam Singhania, who reportedly flew back to Mumbai soon after the accident.
“We have been recently told that the rescue operation started within 20 minutes of the accident. The three rescued had reportedly drifted around 300 metres from the site before being located. Now imagine, the distance an injured would cover in the sea after five days,” said SPS Gharcha, with whom Hari has been associated for long, and president of the Chandigarh Motorsport Association.
He added that there has been ‘no luck, so far,” while the family has largely stayed away from the media. Hari’s son, who had travelled to the Maldives to support with the search, is expected to return to Chandigarh on Wednesday to be with the family.
While Hari’s body is yet to be recovered in the Maldives, his family is understood to be coming to terms with the grim possibility of his loss.
As per family friends, a Bhog ceremony will be held in his remembrance on March 30. The ceremony will take place at a gurudwara in Sector 8 from 12 noon to 1 pm.
On Tuesday, authorities extended their search using drones and coastal guards till late at night. The Maldivian Coast Guard have decided to extend the operations for four days, sources said.
The Indian Government has given a Dornier maritime surveillance plane and an advanced light helicopter to assist the Maldivian forces. At sea, search and rescue responsibility is divided among the two countries.
Hari, popularly known as the ‘Gypsy King’, is among India’s most celebrated rally drivers, with multiple titles in the Indian National Rally Championship during the 1990s.