M. Nirufehi garage fire: bodies of some victims returned to India
The victims include five Indian men, three Indian women, a Bangladeshi man and a Bangladeshi woman
The fire broke out inside a garage in the capital
Authorities have returned the bodies of eight Indian victims of the tragic fire that broke out inside a house in Maafannu-ward of the congested capital Malé City in the early hours of November 10.
The High Commission of India in the Maldives revealed this via a Twitter post on November 17.
As such, the High Commission revealed that mortal remains of all eight Indian national who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident have been repatriated to India.
The high commission went on to thank the Maldivian authorities for their support in the repatriation process.
The Maldives Police Service (MPS) earlier confirmed the identification of the 10 victims of the tragic fire. The victims include three women and five men from India as well as two Bangladeshi nationals; a woman and a man.
In a press conference on Monday, Inspector of Police Mohamed Samih revealed that findings so far indicate that the fire originated inside the garage, that was being operated illegally and without the required permit from authorities.
The fire is to have broken out in two floors, with 26 people inside the building at the time.
Samih went on to reveal that a fire had broken out inside the same garage previously as well, during May this year. The case is also under investigations at the police institution.
The garage in question is located on the ground floor of Nirufehi house in Maafannu ward near the Maaveyo Mosque.
The fire broke-out around 12 30 am and it didn’t take long to spread throughout the entire building, where partitions were made of plywood, according to authorities.
The fire was extinguished by 90 percent, by 03:56am and was completely doused at around 04:34am.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih met senior officials of relevant government agencies for discussions regarding the fire, and on measures to prevent them in the future the very same day.
He also urged the authorities to ensure transparency in disclosing information to the public and instructed them to expedite the identification of the deceased as well as to assist those affected by the fire.
Relevant authorities were also instructed to enhance efforts to inspect the accommodation arrangements of foreign workers and compile a plan to relocate workshops and vehicle garages in residential areas.
Further, the president assured that his administration would take steps to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
Maldives Red Crescent and the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services collaborated to provide psychosocial support for those affected.
