Five expatriate workers have died following a fire that broke out in a workers’ accommodation block on Dhigurah island in Alif Dhaal Atoll. All the victims were Bangladeshi nationals.
The incident occurred at around 2:00 a.m. on Friday. Reports indicate that the accommodation housed 34 workers, all of whom initially managed to escape when the fire started. However, several individuals reportedly went back inside to retrieve personal belongings and money but were unable to exit again, later dying from smoke inhalation.
Police said eight people were treated for burn injuries at the island’s Health Centre. Two of the injured have since been transferred to Malé and are currently receiving treatment on ventilators at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).
The fire was eventually extinguished with the assistance of local residents, who also helped rescue several workers trapped inside the building by breaking down a wall near a bathroom area.
Authorities have dispatched a special police team to Dhigurah to investigate the cause of the incident.
The accommodation block where the fire occurred had reportedly been opened only recently.
