Maldivian authorities begin process of repatriation of bodies of Indians killed in fire incident

PTI, Nov 12, 2022, 2:35 PM IST

The Maldivian authorities have begun the process of repatriation of the bodies of the seven Indian and two Bangladeshi nationals charred to death in the biggest-ever fire incident here in the country’s capital.

Seven out of the 10 who perished in the fire have been confirmed Indian nationals, with another two identified as Bangladeshi expats according to Maldives Police Service on Friday. However, one of the bodies discovered from the rubble had not been identified yet.

Three Indian women and four Indian men were killed. A Bangladeshi man and a woman also died, police said.

Previously, it was believed nine Indians and one Bangladeshi had died.

The fire broke out in a car repair garage in M. Nirufehi, located near the Maaveyo Mosque, around 12:30 am local time on Thursday. The garage is located on the ground floor, while the first floor of the building housed migrant workers from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

Police confirmed on Friday that seven Indians and two Bangladeshis died in the fire incident during the early hours of Thursday, in Sendrose house, online newspaper The Edition.mv reported on Saturday.

However, they said they have not been able to identify an additional person that had died in the incident.

The bodies of the victims were burnt so badly it has been difficult to identify them, they said.

All 10 bodies are now in the Galolhu Mortuary in Male.

A Bangladeshi expatriate who survived the fire is currently being treated at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH). The victim received third or fourth-degree burns, while authorities reported the individual sustained severe burns to their body making their identification difficult, the report said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that they have begun repatriating the bodies of the victims who perished in Thursday early morning’s fire, it said. Local law enforcement authorities said that the families of the victims will have the support of their respective embassies or high commissions in the Maldives, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in repatriating the bodies of the deceased back home.

The Ministry said on Friday that they were closely monitoring the fire and that they were conducting a full investigation into the incident.

“The Ministry is closely monitoring the situation of the massive fire incident that occurred in Male City on 10th November 2022. So far, authorities have confirmed 10 fatalities believed to be expatriates,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted.

This is the biggest fire incident to date in Male and is believed to have started from a vehicle garage operated on the ground floor of the western area of the building. The house is used as an accommodation block by foreign workers in Male, and workers from Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh work there.

The Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (MNPHI) has begun to clear up the rubble.

The area has been cordoned off from the public entrance while clearing out the debris.

Members of the ministry’s Public Works Department (PWD) are clearing the area of debris, iron and other construction materials. They have also begun to clear the road from the vehicles that got damaged in the fire, the report added.