Maldives: Nine Indians among 10 killed in fire at cramped lodgings in Male

Male: At least 10 people, including nine Indian nationals, killed, while several others seriously injured early Thursday when a fire broke out in a garage of a cramped lodgings of foreign workers in the Maldives capital Male.

In a tweet, the Indian High Commission said, “We are deeply saddened by the tragic fire incident in Male which has caused loss of lives, including reportedly of Indian nationals. We are in close contact with the Maldivian authorities”.

Nine Indians killed in Male fire

News agency AFP mentioned a security official saying that the dead included nine Indians and a Bangladesh national.

Officials said 10 bodies were recovered from the upper floor of a building destroyed in the fire, which originated from a ground-floor vehicle repair garage.

“We have found 10 bodies,” a fire service official said.

It took the fire department about four hours to douse the blaze.

We are deeply saddened by the tragic fire incident in Malé which has caused loss of lives, including reportedly of Indian nationals.

We are in close contact with the Maldivian authorities.

For any assistance, HCI can be reached on following numbers:
+9607361452 ; +9607790701

— India in Maldives (@HCIMaldives) November 10, 2022

According to news portal SunOnline international, the fire broke out in M. Nirufehi area near the Maaveyo Mosque around 12:30 am.

The garage is located on the ground floor, while the first-floor houses migrant workers. As per the report, the quarters had only ventilation - a single window.

Male of the archipelago best known as an upmarket holiday destination is one of the world's most densely populated cities.

The Maldives National Defence Force Fire and Rescue Service said that 28 people were evacuated out of the building, while nine people were reported missing.

Foreign workers in Male

Foreign workers constitute about half of Male's 250,000-strong population. They are mostly from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Maldivian political parties have criticised conditions of foreign workers in the country.

The poor living conditions of foreign workers in Male were brought to fore during the COVID-19 pandemic when the infection spread three times faster among foreign workers compared with locals.

With inputs from agencies

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