Jaishankar receives phone call from Maldives counterpart after Male fire incident
Nov 10, 2022
New Delhi [India], November 10 : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday received a phone call from his Maldives counterpart Abdulla Shahid, who expressed grief over the tragic loss of lives in a fire incident in Male today.
"Deeply grieved by the tragic loss of lives in a fire incident in Male today. Full details regarding Indians being ascertained by the High Commission who are contacting affected families," Jaishankar tweeted.
"Received a call from FM @abdulla_shahid expressing condolences and assuring full support. High Commission is closely working with Maldivian authorities on this matter," he added.
At least 10 people lost their lives in the Male garage fire, which reportedly included Indian nationals. The Maldives foreign minister told Jaishankar that a full investigation is underway into the incident.
"Spoke to EAM of #India @DrSJaishankar & FM of #Bangladesh Dr A.K.Abdul Momen and conveyed condolences of the Government & people of Maldives, to the families of the deceased in the fire incident in Male' last night. Informed that a full investigation is under-way," Shahid tweeted.
In an earlier tweet, Maldives' Foreign Minister expressed his condolences to the victims of the fire incident in Male. He said 10 expatriate workers died in the fire.
"Deeply saddened by the news of a tragic fire in Male', that has taken the lives of 10 expatriate workers and affected several families. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased and affected. A full investigation is underway," Shahid tweeted.
The Indian High Commission also expressed grief over the lives lost in the fire incident.
"We are deeply saddened by the tragic fire incident in Male which has caused loss of lives, including reportedly of Indian nationals. We are in close contact with the Maldivian authorities," the Indian High Commission tweeted.
The High Commission said it is reaching out to the families of the affected Indian nationals.
"Update on the fire incident in Male: Maldivian authorities have confirmed the loss of 10 lives in the unfortunate incident. The process of identification of the deceased is ongoing. High Commission is reaching out to the families of the affected Indian nationals," it added.
Local authorities said eight of the deceased were Indian nationals while one person was from Bangladesh, Maldives news publication AVAS reported.
The nationalities of two other victims remain unknown so far. The sources revealed that some of the deceased people were trapped in their rooms and bathrooms, the report said.
Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Fire and Rescue Service said that the incident happened in a building where a large number of Indian, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi migrant workers lived.
