CHANDIGARH: About a week after Indian National Rally champion Hari Singh went missing following a speedboat crash near Felidhoo island, the Maldivian authorities called off the search operation last night.
59-year-old Hari Singh, a five-time national rally champion who hails from Chandigarh, went missing on March 19 after a speedboat crash near Felidhoo Island in the Maldives.
Earlier, the Indian Government had provided a Dornier maritime surveillance plane and an advanced light helicopter to assist the Maldivian forces.
Hari Singh, along with decorated sailor and former naval officer Commander Mahesh Ramachandran, remain untraceable.
Meanwhile, Hari Singh's family has decided to hold a prayer ceremony (Bhog Ceremony) in his remembrance on March 30, at Gurdwara Sahib Patshahi Dasvin in Sector 8 here.
Singh is survived by his wife Simran Kaur, daughtet Azmat Kaur, a pilot and son Mivaan Singh, a private company employee.
A close family friend, associated with Singh for more than two decades, said, "The rescue and search operations were called off last night. A couple of friends who had gone to the Maldives are back now. We could not find any trace of Hari."
After retiring from competitive racing, Hari continued to shape Indian motorsport and served as the Head of Operations at JK Tyre Motorsport and Chief Instructor for Mercedes-Benz India. Besides winning the Indian National Rally Championship five times, Singh has also won the inaugural Asia Zone Rally Championship, becoming one of the first Indian drivers to gain recognition at the international level.
Hari Singh, fondly known as 'Gypsy King', started his rallying carrier in 1990 with the Himalayan Car Rally and went on to dominate the sport through the 1990s and early 2000s.
Industrialist Gautam Singhania, chairman and managing director of the Raymond Group, sustained injuries in the crash and was returned to Mumbai for recovery.
The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation. Early reports suggest that the boat overturned roughly two nautical miles southwest of Keyodhoo.
The search operation was carried out by the Maldives National Defence Force's Male Area Command Coast Guard Second Squadron. The Maldives authorities had scanned the surrounding waters since the incident. The search operation for Hari and Ramachandran was carried out through drones, light planes and human coordination and was extended beyond a normal 72-hour procedure.
The accident took place in the early hours of March 19 when a high-performance speedboat carrying seven passengers capsized in choppy waters near Felidhoo island in Vaavu Atoll.