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Fire rips through Gili Lankanfushi

A fire incident at Gili Lankanfushi has destroyed a large part of the eco-friendly resort. The fire completely destroyed seven water villas, the kitchen and the restaurant of the resort. The fire broke at around 2300 hours, late Wednesday evening, according to Gili Lankanfushi.

The resort revealed all guests and hosts have been accounted for and were evacuated from the island with alternative accommodation being arranged by Gili Lankanfushi from Jumeriah Vittaveli, Huvafenfushi Maldives and Four Seasons Kuda Huraa. Following the reports of the fire, Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed visited the resort and assessed the damage.

The fire was contained with efforts from resort staff and fire and rescue teams two hours after the fire broke, according to Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). Fire and rescue officers were able to quell the fire at about 0500 hours and no one was injured.

The fire is believed to have started in a stand-alone villa complex which then spread in the direction of the air. The cause of the fire at the resort, which is made up of 45 over-water villas, is not yet known.

The resort was ranked among the top five best hotels in the world by TripAdvisor last year, and as the number one hotel in Maldives. Kuoni describes Gili Lankanfushi as one of its favourite hotels.