The fire brigade in Male, the capital of the Maldives, reported that a fire spread through crowded housing for foreign workers on November 10, killing at least 10 people and injuring many more.
Local media reported that the identification of bodies is proving difficult due to the fact that they are severely burned. “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,” the report said. An estimated 15 people who live in the building remain missing.
The inhumane conditions and number of fatalities of the Indian migrants has been criticised several times by human rights activists and like-minded bodies over the last decade. Despite the backlash, not enough measures have been taken to put a stop to long-standing abuses of labour laws.
India, which is the largest source of international migrants in the world, has about 8.9 million citizens working in the Gulf. The UAE has the highest Indian expat community, and recorded at least five deaths every day between 2017 to 2021. The number of deaths spiked from 2,454 in 2020 to 2,714 in 2021. At the same time, Qatar reported 420 deaths in 2021 and 385 in 2020.