Mortal remains of 8 Indians killed in Maldives fire repatriated

The mortal remains of the eight Indian nationals who were killed in the deadly garage fire in the Maldivian capital in Male last week have been repatriated to India, the Indian high commission in the archipelago said on Thursday (17).

The eight Indians were among 10 people who died on November 10, when a major fire broke out in the garage below a cramped living quarters that housed foreign workers here. The fire broke out in the M. Nirufehi area near the Maaveyo Mosque, and is reported as the worst-ever recorded in Male city in terms of lives claimed and damage to property.

"Mortal remains of all 8 Indian nationals, who lost their lives in this unfortunate incident, have been repatriated to India. We thank Maldivian authorities for their support in this regard," the Indian high Ccommission in the Maldives tweeted.

It did not provide their identities and other details.

The garage is located on the ground floor of the building, while the first-floor housed migrant workers. The living quarters had only a single window, according to news portal SunOnline international.

There were 38 migrant workers from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka living in the building, with a gas cylinder next to each bed, the Maldives National Defence Force said.

Maldives president Ibrahim Mohammed Solih ordered a probe into the fire. Foreign workers constitute about half of Male's 250,000-strong population, who are mostly from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.