Maldives fire: 9 Indians among 10 killed; Indian High Commission condoles tragic incident

At least 10 people were killed and several others injured after a fire swept through a building where foreign workers were lodged in Male, Maldives, on Thursday. According to a security official, the deceased included 9 Indians and 1 Bangladesh national.

According to reports, 10 bodies were recovered from the upper floor of the building gutted in the fire, which originated from a ground-floor vehicle repair garage.

A fire official confirmed they found 10 bodies at the location of the incident, and it took them four hours to put out the fire.

The Indian High Commission condoled the tragic incident and said, "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," added the Indian Embassy in Maldives.

About half of Male's 250,000 residents are said to be foreign workers, most of whom are from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the subpar living circumstances for immigrant workers since the virus spread three times as quickly among them as it did among locals.

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