A fire has forced the closure of the Gili Lankanfushi Maldives luxury resort.
According to a statement on the resort’s official website, the fire broke out at approximately 11 p.m. local time on January 2. All guests and staff have since been accounted for, and have been evacuated from the island.
The resort reports that the fire destroyed seven of its over-water villas, as well as one of its restaurants. No one was injured in the fire, which was extinguished by firefighters from the Maldives National Defence Force as of 5 a.m. the morning of January 3. The cause of the fire remains unknown at this time, and the resort is working closely with the Maldives National Defense Force on a full investigation.
In the meantime, the resort said that it will remain closed for the “foreseeable future” as it continues to assess the full extent of the damage. The resort will be in touch with future guests and travel partners on rearranging or refunding their vacations while repairs are underway. The resort also said that it will share further updates as they become available.
“We wanted to commend the bravery of our Gili staff for prioritizing the well-being of our guests and calmly escorting them to safety as soon as the alarm was raised last night and express our gratitude to the firefighters from the Maldives National Defence Force who extinguished the fire by 5 a.m. this morning,” the resort said in a statement on its Facebook page. “Thank you also to the Maldives’ Minister of Tourism, Mr Ali Waheed, who visited Gili Lankanfushi last night and is supporting our team to ensure all of our guests are being taken care of with alternative accommodation, flights home and any necessary travel documents.”
This story originally appeared on www.travelagentcentral.com.
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