Garage fire: Many gas cylinders stored at foreign workers' cramped quarters

A gas cylinder was next to each bed of around 38 foreign workers in the cramped living quarters above an automobile garage here in the Maldivian capital where a massive fire broke out on Thursday, a ghastly accident which killed at least 10 people, including nine Indians.The house, an accommodation building for expatriates described as a pigeon block by neighbours and locals in M.

A gas cylinder was next to each bed of around 38 foreign workers in the cramped living quarters above an automobile garage here in the Maldivian capital where a massive fire broke out on Thursday, a ghastly accident which killed at least 10 people, including nine Indians.

The house, an accommodation building for expatriates described as a ''pigeon block'' by neighbours and locals in M. Nirufehi area near the Maaveyo Mosque, sheltered several foreign workers which included Indians, Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis The fire broke out in the car repair garage around 12:30 am. The garage was located on the ground floor of the three-storey building.

A Bangladesh worker who spoke to the media said that all of the building's residents paid a monthly rent of MVR 700 (approx Rs 12,000). Most of the rooms had equipment for cooking, including gas cylinders.

Maldives National Disaster Authority (MNDA) officials said there were gas cylinders placed next to the beds inside the migrant quarters, according to news portal SunOnline International.

“The fire had already spread extensively when we arrived at the scene. The first priority of our firefighters was to control the fire and prevent it from spreading any further,” said Colonel Ibrahim Rasheed, Commandant, MNDF Fire and Rescue Service.

Ibrahim said firefighters had to work hard to prevent the fire from spreading to neighbouring residences.

“There were a lot of gas cylinders here. Different types of gas. The garage was located on the ground floor. We therefore found it very challenging to fight the fire,” he said. The neighbouring house sustained significant damages to its structure, including damages to its windows, during Thursday morning's fire.

Ibrahim said the dead bodies recovered from the scene were severely burnt, making it difficult to identify them or even determine their sex.

MNDF Chief Executive Hisan Hassan confirmed the deceased include nine Indians and one Bangladeshi.

The fire was controlled nearly four hours after it erupted. MNDF Chief Executive Hisan Hassan said they have relocated 30 locals and 28 expats, which included Indians, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans, to temporary camps at Maafannu outdoor stadium, The Edition reported.

This was by far the most dangerous fire incident reported from Male' City in terms of both property damage and casualties.

Ibrahim said the garage had been the scene of a previous fire - which resulted from negligence while working with gas cutters.

“This place stores many cylinders. Some cylinders as tall as me,” he said. It is yet to be ascertained which local employer was providing accommodation for the expatriates, or what line of work they were doing.

''The place looks like one large hall. The place was a hall before they installed a deck to accommodate more of them,'' an individual who has been inside the building commented. Meanwhile, Maldivian Foreign Minister Ambula Shahid has expressed grief over the incident and said that a ''full investigation'' into the incident has been launched.

''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 families of the deceased and affected. A full investigation is underway,'' he tweeted.

Foreign workers constitute about half of Male's 250,000-strong population, who are mostly from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.