Male: At least nine Indians were killed after a fire swept through a building where foreign workers were lodged in the Maldives capital here on Thursday.
Ten bodies were recovered from an upper floor of the building where the fire originated from a vehicle repair garage which was located in ground floor, AFP reported.
The news agency quoted a fire service official as saying that they had found 10 bodies and it took them about four hours to put out the fire.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic fire incident in the #Maldives which has caused loss of lives, including reportedly of Indian nationals,” the Indian High Commission in Maldives tweeted.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Maldives said that an evacuation centre has been set up in a nearby stadium.
“NDMA has established an evacuation centre in Maafannu Stadium for those displaced and affected by the fire in Male. Arrangements are being made to provide relief assistance and support,” NDMA said in a tweet.
According to Save Maldives, a citizen-led environmental campaign, 11 people have lost their lives in the ‘deadliest fire tragedy’ in the Maldives.
“Reportedly all are migrant workers, packed in an overcrowded accommodation above a garage in the capital Male city,” Sane Maldives tweeted.
Deadliest fire tragedy in the #Maldives. 11 dead bodies found so far. Reportedly all are migrant workers, packed in an overcrowded accommodation above a garage in the capital Male’ City. pic.twitter.com/Y9FhKSnDkz
— Save Maldives (@SaveMaldivess) November 10, 2022
About half of Male’s population of 250,000 are made up of foreign workers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
