Indians die in Maldives fire
EIGHT Indians were among 10 people killed last Thursday (10) after a fire broke out in a garage below cramped living quarters that housed foreign workers in the Maldivian capita Male, an Indian High Commission official said.
The fire broke out in the M Nirufehi area near the Maaveyo Mosque around 12:30am, news portal SunOnline international reported.
“Ten people were confirmed dead, of which eight were Indian nationals. We are yet to ascertain the nationalities of the two other victims,” Ramdhir Singh, a welfare officer in the Indian High Commission said.
In a tweet earlier, 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”.
The garage is located on the ground floor, while the first floor housed migrant workers. The living quarters had only a single window, the report said.
The Maldives National Defence Force Fire and Rescue Service said 28 people were evacuated from the building, the report added.
Foreign workers constitute about half of Male’s 250,000 population, mostly from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.