Garage fire: Police urge not to report information undisclosed by authorities

Maldives Police Service has urged media outlets not to report information undisclosed by the authorities regarding the fire which broke out at M. Nirufehi, in Male’ City, on early Thursday morning.

In a statement released on Thursday night, Police said that efforts to identify the deceased are still ongoing.

Underscoring that some media outlets have disclosed the identities of the alleged deceased persons – Police said that they have yet to confirm the identities of all the deceased.

Police also emphasized that they have yet to connect with the families of some of the deceased regarding their deaths.

“We urge not to disclose such information unless the relevant authorities publicize such information in order to respect the feelings of the family members of those deceased,” they had said.

The fire broke out in a car repair garage in M. Nirufehi, located near the Maaveyo Mosque, around 12:30 am. The garage is located on the ground floor, while the first-floor houses cramped living quarters for migrant workers – the only ventilation – a single window. Authorities state that cooking gas cylinders were next to each bed, where the migrants slept.

The quarters housed migrant workers from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

10 people died, while one, identified as a Bangladeshi national, is in critical condition. Efforts are underway to identify the deceased bodies, reported by authorities to have been severely burned. Indian High Commission in the Maldives reported on late Thursday night that local authorities had informed seven of the deceased as Indians.

As per the authorities, the migrant quarters housed at least 38 people, and there were cooking gas cylinders placed next to each bed. 28 were rescued, of which nine remain under NDMA’s care; six women and three men.