Maldives fire leaves 10 dead, including a Bangladeshi

A fire ripped through crowded dormitories of foreign workers in the Maldives capital Male on Thursday (November 10, 2022), killing at least 10 people, including a citizen of Bangladesh, and injuring several more, according to the fire department.

The archipelago's capital, which is primarily known as a posh vacation spot, is one of the world's densestly populated cities.

According to officials, 10 dead were found on the upper story of a structure that was completely destroyed by the fire, which started in a ground-floor auto repair shop.

A fire department representative announced, "We have recovered 10 bodies," adding that it took them almost four hours to put out the fire.

Nine Indians and a Bangladeshi national were among the deceased, according to a security officer.

Political parties in the Maldives have criticized the working conditions for foreigners.

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

Their poor living conditions were brought to light during the Covid-19 pandemic when the infection spread three times faster among foreign workers compared with locals.

Source: AFP