A fire broke out a substation of the State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) in the capital Malé City early Thursday morning.

A spokesperson at the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said that the incident was reported to them at around 4:39 am, adding that a Fire and Rescue team was dispatched immediately.

MNDF said that the fire was quenched within 10 minutes.

They said that a distribution box which was providing electricity to seven different zones in the city was damaged beyond use in the fire.

Eyewitnesses said that the fire is believed to have been set by a group, and that those gathered there had ‘handed over some suspects to the officers’.

While authorities are yet to confirm this, MNDF said that foul play is suspected. They did not reveal any further information, citing ongoing investigation.