Nine Indians among 10 killed in fire in Maldives' Male

At least 10 people including nine Indians were killed when an inferno barrelled through the lodgings of foreign workers in Maldives’ Male on Thursday (November 10).

The other person was a Bangladesh immigrant.

The fire reportedly originated from the ground floor of the building which houses a vehicle repair garage. The bodies were recovered from the cramped quarters of workers on the first floor of the building.

Fire officials told the media that it took them four hours to douse the fire, after which the bodies were recovered.

Workers from Asian countries including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka make around half of the Maldives capital’s 2,50,000 population.

The incident has evoked criticism from several quarters from the poor living condition of immigrant workers in Male. Similar living conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic had led to the spread of the infection three time faster among foreign workers in the country as compared to local residents.