At least 11 people, including a Bangladeshi national, have died in a fire at a garage in Male, the capital city of the Maldives, according to Avas, a Maldivian news outlet.
Authorities say the victims were mainly workers from neighbouring countries and the police are working to confirm their identities, according to a report by The Hindu.
The fire started in a garage for repairing vehicles on the ground floor of a building and ten bodies were recovered from the upper floor, reports bdnews24.com.
“We have found 10 bodies,” a fire service official told The Hindu, adding that it took firefighters about four hours to put out the fire.
A security official told the newspaper that the dead included nine Indians and a Bangladeshi national.
About half of Male’s population of 250,000 are foreign workers, mostly from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, according to the report.
Mohamed Nasheed, parliamentary speaker and former president of the Maldives, offered his “deepest consoldences” over the tragedy.
“Appalled to hear the news that 10 expat workers have died in a fire in Male. My deepest condolences to the family and friends of those who perished. There must be a swift and thorough investigation into what happened, & the living conditions of expat labour in Maldives,’ Nasheed tweeted.