Rally Legend Hari Singh Confirmed Dead in Maldives Speedboat Crash, Recovery Operations Under Way

It has been confirmed that Indian rally legend Hari Singh, 59, has died after a tourist speedboat carrying him and industrialist Gautam Singhania, among others, capsized off the Maldives, with authorities informing the family that his body is believed to be trapped in a coral reef. ACKO Drive is awaiting a statement from JK Tyres. 

On the second day of search operations, Maldivian authorities told Singh’s family that the bodies of the driver and the boat’s captain are believed to be lodged deep within a coral formation, and specialised teams are being readied to attempt recovery. According to a report in The Times Of India, Singh’s son Mivaan, who had travelled to the Maldives to oversee efforts, is returning to India while close friends remain in contact with local agencies and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.

ACKO Drive was among the first to report that Raymond Group chairman and managing director Gautam Singhania had suffered minor injuries in the crash, while rally veteran Hari Singh was reported missing after the vessel overturned. Singhania was rescued, airlifted to Mumbai, and is now stated by his team to be recovering under medical supervision.

The incident occurred late on Thursday, 19 March, when a high-speed boat with seven people on board overturned near Felidhoo island in Vaavu Atoll, about two nautical miles southwest of Keyodhoo, according to Maldivian media and defence officials. The passengers included five Indian men and two women from the United Kingdom and Russia.

Singh, nicknamed the “Gypsy King”, was one of India’s most successful rally drivers, with five Indian National Rally Championship titles in the 1990s and the inaugural Asia Zone Rally Championship to his name.  After an international career, he moved into driver training and management roles, heading operations at JK Tyre Motorsport and working as a chief instructor with Mercedes-Benz India.