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Male: Tragic strikes after two Indian nationals were killed in a powerful gas explosion near a fish market on Haa Dhaal Makunudhoo island in the Maldives on Sunday. India High Commission expresses grief over 2 Indians demise, taking to a social media platform, the Indian mission in Maldives wrote, “We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident on Haa Dhaal Makunudhoo island in which two Indian nationals have lost their lives.” It said the mission is in “close contact” with the Maldivian authorities as well as the families of the victims.
We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident on Haa Dhaal Makunudhoo island in which two Indian nationals have lost their lives.
High Commission is in close contact with Maldivian authorities as well as the families of the victims.
— India in Maldives (@HCIMaldives) October 22, 2023
Citing a resident, the Sun Online news website reported that the explosion took place near the fish market, located at the southern end of the island’s harbour, at around 04:15 pm on Saturday.
What caused the explosion?
According to initial investigation, the blast was caused by a gas cylinder near Kamunudhoo’s fish market, a police spokesperson was quoted as saying. The victims were workers employed by the contractor for the land reclamation project to build an airport on the island, it said, without identifying their nationalities.
According to the information revealed by the police, the explosion was so loud that its sound echoed throughout the island. Due to the loud explosion, both the employees were left in tatters and their body parts were scattered over long distances. In some pictures released on social media, part of the roof of the building is also seen collapsing. Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) is now investigating the incident along with the police.
“There were teeth scattered in different areas. I saw pieces of bones and flesh. It has been found in multiple locations. A person is dead for sure,” the news portal reported, citing a source. “It was a huge blast. It rocked the whole island,” he said, adding that the blast appeared to have been some sort of gas explosion. Parts of a gas cylinder were found at the incident spot.
