Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said a coast guard vessel has been dispatched to assist the ferry. A harbour patrol vessel dispatched from Kolhufushi is presently in the area, MNDF said. Police together with the coast guard have evacuated passengers to the nearby island of Dhiggaru. Police said no one has been hurt in the incident. There were children on-board the ferry including a pregnant woman, police also said. The ferry had the reef six miles off Meemu Atoll Dhiggaru. MNDF spokesperson major Adnan Mohamed said it will take at least one hour for the coast guard vessel to arrive at the scene. Police vessels from Meemu Atoll Dhiggaru and Muli have also been dispatched to assist the ferry in distress. Several marine accidents have been reported in the past few days. On Tuesday morning, a ferry carrying 80 passengers and millions in cargo sank near Kaaf Atoll Vaagali. In another incident a speedboat with 43 people on-board hit a reef near Full Moon resort on Wednesday while a vessel carrying construction sand had capsized near Anantara Resort with five crew on-board. But there had been no casualties and all passengers had been rescued.