President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih says moving garages and workshops to uninhabited areas is a long-standing issue that needs to be resolved immediately.
He said while speaking to reporters at the scene of a devastating fire in Male' last night which saw 10 people lose their lives. The fire engulfed two separate living quarters assigned for migrant workers and one of them was above a garage.
Authorities have said that the fire at the garage was it's third and that the last fire incident happened back in May.
President visited the scene and said that this was the biggest fire incident the country has seen in recent times and that while many lost their lives, MNDF Fire and Rescue Services has done a tremendous amount of work to control the fire from spreading.
The President further said that one of the main reasons behind these incidents was the congestion in the capital Male' and that this issue needs to be resolved along with checking the living conditions of residents in small spaces.
President Solih noted that building codes for construction in Male' should be further strengthened and that the Government would do its part to ensure this.
President sent his condolences to the families of the victims and assured them that he was closely monitoring the situation.
The fire ignited around midnight and it took MNDF hours to get it under control. Authorities said that the victims of the fire were burnt beyond recognition with officials finding it difficult to differentiate their gender.
