Seven Indians among 10 killed in Maldives garage fire: Indian High Commission

Seven Indian nationals are among 10 people who have died in a major fire that broke out in a garage below the cramped living quarters housing foreign workers here in the Maldivian capital the Indian High Commission in Maldives said on FridayThe fire broke out in a car repair garage in M Nirufehi located near the Maaveyo Mosque around 1230 am local time on ThursdayThe High Commission of India in the Maldives HCIM said that local authorities have informed them that seven of the deceased were Indian nationalsFire incident in Male Maldivian authorities have confirmed that 7 of the deceased were Indian nationals The identity of one person is still being confirmed High Commission is in contact with the families it said in a tweetOn Thursday the Maldivian media quoting the Maldives National Defence Force MNDF said nine Indians were among the 10 people who were killed in the blazeHC AmbMunu along with Mission officials met the evacuated Indian nationals They were assured of all possible assistance We thank Maldivian authorities NGOs and community members who have been providing necessary support to the evacuees HCIM said in another tweetAccording to the latest information the deceased in the fire include people of both genders who are Indian and Bangladeshi nationals the Sunonline reportedAlso Read Our high commission extending assistance to affected Indians MEA on Maldives fire incidentThe fire broke out in the garage that is located on the ground floor while the firstfloor houses cramped living quarters for migrant workers the only ventilation a single window it saidAuthorities state that cooking gas cylinders were next to each bed where the migrants slept The quarters housed migrant workers from Bangladesh India and Sri LankaA total of 10 people died while one identified as a Bangladeshi national is in critical condition the report saidAs per the authorities the migrant quarters housed at least 38 people and there were cooking gas cylinders placed next to each bed As many as 28 were rescued of which nine remain under NDMAs care six women and three men it saidExternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in a tweet on Thursday Deeply grieved by the tragic loss of lives in a fire incident in Male today Full details regarding Indians being ascertained by the High Commission who are contacting affected familiesMaldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid on Thursday spoke to his Indian counterpart Jaishankar and conveyed condolences to the government and people of Maldives over the death of a number of Indians in a major fire in the capital MaleIn the phone conversation Shahid informed Jaishankar that a full investigation has been ordered into the incident that killed at least 10 peopleThe Maldivian foreign minister said he also spoke to his Bangladesh counterpart Spoke to EAM of India DrSJaishankar amp FM of Bangladesh Dr AKAbdul Momen and conveyed condolences of the Government amp people of Maldives to the families of the deceased in the fire incident in Male last night Informed that a full investigation is underway Shahid tweetedSeparately External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi described the incident as tragicHe said the Indian high commission in Male is extending all possible assistance to the affected Indians and their familiesOur high commission there has clarified that local authorities have indicated that at least 10 bodies have been found Local authorities are engaged in identifying the bodies Bagchi saidHe was replying to a question on the incident during his weekly media briefing Our high commission is in close contact with the Maldivian authorities at various levels Our high commission is extending all possible assistance to the affected Indians and their families They have also opened a helpline Bagchi saidIt is a very unfortunate development Till such time we are able to identify the bodies as Indian citizens I would not like to comment or confirm how many have passed away he saidMaldives National Disaster Authority MNDAs chief Hisan Hassan said on Thursday that 28 people were rescued from the buildingHe said 19 of them had been taken away by their employers while nine people remain under MNDAs care six women and three menColonel Ibrahim Rasheed Commandant of MNDF Fire and Rescue Service said the fire was doused at 0434 am local timeIbrahim said the dead bodies recovered from the scene were severely burnt making it difficult to identify them or even determine their sexForeign workers constitute about half of Males 250000strong population who are mostly from Bangladesh India Nepal Pakistan and Sri LankaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever