One more Indian national killed in Maldives garage fire
Male(PTI): The number of Indians killed in the deadly garage fire in the Maldivian capital here rose to eight on Sunday after the only unidentified body was identified as that of an Indian man.
Thursday's fire is reported as the worst-ever recorded in Male City in terms of lives claimed and damage to property.
Police said the last body from the 10 deceased in the fire that broke out in a car repair garage in M Nirufehi, located near the Maaveyo Mosque, was identified and it was an Indian man, the Sun Online International reported.
The garage was located on the ground floor, while the first floor of the building housed migrant workers from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.
Authorities have confirmed the deceased as four women, including three Indians and one Bangladeshi, and six men. The five men that were previously identified were four Indians and one Bangladeshi.
Police said that the identities of all the deceased have been shared with the Foreign Ministry, and the diplomatic missions of their respective nations in the Maldives. The identities of the Indian nationals have not been made public.
The migrant quarters housed at least 38 people, and there were cooking gas cylinders placed next to each bed.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said that 29 people, including 15 locals and 14 foreigners, are being provided with temporary shelter in guesthouses. Guardians of another 19 foreigners who were displaced in the incident have provided them shelter, it said.
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West Asia: India supplied 22,000 MT of high-speed diesel to Bangladesh in March, says MEA
New Delhi (PTI): Amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, India has supplied 22,000 metric tonnes of high-speed diesel to Bangladesh in March and has received a request from Seychelles and the Maldives to meet their energy requirements, the MEA said on Friday.
At his weekly briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in his response to a query related to requests received from India's neighbouring countries for fuel amid the West Asia situation, also said that India is "finalising a government-to-government agreement" for the supply of oil and gas, which will play an important role in reinforcing energy security of Mauritius.
The conflict in West Asia has now stretched to nearly 50 days, with global ramifications.
"So, we have received requests from our neighbouring countries for supply of fuel, and these are being looked into, keeping in mind our own requirements, availability and refining capacity," Jaiswal told reporters.
He further said India has "supplied 22,000 metric tonnes of high-speed diesel to Bangladesh in March 2026, and further supplies have continued this month as well".
"You would recall that last month we had supplied 38 metric tonnes of petroleum products to Sri Lanka as well," he added.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Mauritius last week, the MEA spokesperson said, adding, "We are finalising a government-to-government agreement for supply of oil and gas, which will play an important role in reinforcing the energy security of Mauritius".
As far as Nepal is concerned, there is an existing arrangement between Indian Oil Corporation and Nepal Oil Corporation to supply petroleum products to Nepal as per its requirements. The supplies are continuing without any interruption, he said.
Energy supplies to Bhutan also continue according to the existing arrangement.
"As I had mentioned earlier, we have received a request from Seychelles and the Maldives to meet their energy requirements. We continue to be in touch with them in this regard, and are considering the request keeping in mind our own domestic requirements and availability of fuel.
"I would also like to add that our neighbouring country governments have expressed appreciation for the uninterrupted supply, fuel supply to them during the West Asian conflict," Jaiswal said.
Global oil and gas prices surged after Iran restricted the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG trade.
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