Maldives: 9 Indians among 10 workers killed in fire accident

Male, Nov 10: At least nine Indians have been killed and several others injured when a fire swept through a building in which foreign workers were housed in the Maldives capital Male on Thursday, AFP reported.

A total of 10 bodies were recovered from the upper floor of a building destroyed in the fire. The report claims that the fire appeared to have originated from a ground-floor vehicle repair garage.

"We have found 10 bodies," a fire service official said, adding that it took them about four hours to put out the fire, according to news agency AFP. Another person killed in the fire was a Bangladesh national, a security official told the news agency.
The clip of fire engulfing the building has gone viral.

Foreign workers are said to make up about half of Male's 250,000-strong population and mostly hail from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Helpline Numbers for Indians
Meanwhile, the High Commission of India in Maldives has expressed condolence over the loss of lives in the incident and released helpline numbers.

"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," it said on Twitter.

For any assistance, HCI can be reached on the following numbers:

+9607361452 ; +9607790701