Malé City Council today called for investigating negligence by state institutions and taking action over the incident in which two large boats drifted near Malé and struck Sinamalé Bridge.

The two boats — moored between Dhoonidhoo and Malé — drifted after their anchors broke in a strong squall. They first ran aground on Malé’s reef off the Carnival area, causing serious damage to the reef.

The boats then drifted on and struck the superstructure of Sinamalé Bridge. What is believed to have hit the bridge was a steel antenna and a navigation light from one of the boats. The boat then passed under the bridge and was eventually carried to the southern side of Malé.

The two vessels had entered Maldivian waters illegally and were being held under Customs’ custody. Their crews had been in distress, and the boats have now sunk outside Maldivian waters.

In a statement tonight, the City Council said the incident occurred because state institutions had failed to carry out their legal duties, adding that questions had been raised about the security of Malé’s maritime area.

The Council called for a public inquiry into how the two boats entered the Maldives and how, while under Customs’ custody, they broke anchor, ran aground on the reef, and struck the bridge.

It also called for the Environmental Regulatory Authority (ERA) to assess the damage to the reef and pursue compensation, and for an engineers’ audit of the damage to the bridge.

Workers from China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), which maintains Sinamalé Bridge, have inspected it. Housing Minister Abdulla Muttalib said the bridge had suffered no structural damage, though he noted that cracks were visible.