Nearly a month after a fire broke out in an expatriate accommodation block in ADh. Dhigurah, a request was made to the People's Majlis today to determine if the relevant authorities have investigated the matter.
On the 12th of April, around 2:00 AM, a fire broke out in an accommodation block where expatriates were residing in Dhigurah. Eight people suffered burns; among them, five individuals died, while two were brought to Malé for further treatment. The third person was released after receiving treatment on the island.
The MDP Member for North Galolhu, Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu), sent a letter to the Speaker of the People's Majlis, Abdul Raheem Abdulla, requesting that information regarding the deaths of these expatriates be clarified through the Government Oversight Committee.
Information requested for clarification:
- To clarify whether the house they resided in was provided in accordance with the Tenancy Act.
- To clarify whether the deceased expatriates held work permits and under whom they were employed.
- To obtain information on whether the building was registered as an "expatriate accommodation" business activity.
- To find out if the Ministry of Homeland Security had inspected whether the building met the standards for housing expatriates and to obtain the relevant documentation.
- To obtain the Ministry’s policy for inspecting expatriate blocks.
- To find out the efforts made so far to identify locations where such dangerous incidents might occur.
- To check if the employers of those expatriates had ensured that the place provided for their stay was compliant with regulations.
- To clarify if the Police conducted an investigation, and if so, whether the cause of the incident was determined and what actions were decided if negligence was noted from any party.
- To check if the building they resided in was authorized by the Council for human habitation and if the Council had authorized it for large-scale occupancy.
- Details on whether the Council had noted the building as a dangerous place for habitation or if the Council had made efforts to stop people from living there.
The fire in the house used as an accommodation block in Dhigurah occurred due to a gas leak. However, no official information has been released regarding how the incident took place.
A person who spoke from the island said that the fire broke out while two people were attempting to cook late at night, while the other expatriates were asleep at the time. It is understood that 30 expatriates lived in that location.
Videos of the night of the fire went viral on social media, showing efforts to rescue people by breaking down a wall at the back of the house. The removal of the bodies of the deceased is also seen in the videos.
