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of those living in the two-storey lodging were from India and Nepal.

Some 1 lakh Bangladeshis work in the Maldives, mostly in the hospitality and construction sectors.

Officials said the dead bodies were recovered from the top floor of the building. The fire originated from the ground floor’s vehicle repair shop. The migrants used to live on the first floor.

The Maldives National Defence Force Fire and Rescue Service informed that 28 people were evacuated from the building.

According to the Maldives news portal Sun Online International, the fire broke out in the M Nirufehi area near the Maaveyo Mosque around 12:30am and took about four hours to be doused.

According to AFP, the capital of the archipelago best known as an upmarket holiday destination is one of the world’s most densely populated cities. Maldivian political parties have criticised conditions for foreign workers.

They are thought to make up about half of Male’s 250,000-strong population and are mostly from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Their poor living conditions were brought to light during the Covid-19 pandemic when the infection spread three times faster among foreign workers compared to locals.

Meanwhile, Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid called Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen yesterday to condole the deaths.

“We think it is an accident and we are investigating it,” Shahid told Momen.