More than 400 people displaced in Malé warehouse fire
443 people were forced out of their homes.
21 Sep 2019, 9:00 AM
An inferno that blazed through a residential area of the Maldives capital on Friday night displaced more than 400 people, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.
Briefing the press on Saturday morning, NDMA executive director Hisaan Hassan said 443 people left homeless were registered at the relief centre set up at the Kalaafanu school in Malé. Temporary accommodation was arranged for 83 people from 13 families while several people moved in with their extended families, he said.
Humanitarian assistance was provided to locals and foreigners alike, Hisaan stressed, noting that temporary shelter has been arranged at the Galolhu stadium for 59 expatriates. Employers took care of a further 60 migrant workers, he added.
The fire broke out at a warehouse in Henveiru Thilafushi around 7:30pm, engulfed parked motorcycles and spread to other buildings on the narrow road. A 46-year-old woman trapped in a house opposite the warehouse was found dead after the fire was controlled four hours later.
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