Following the devastating fire that tore through Gili Lankanfushi past Wednesday night, the luxury resort has brought its operations to a complete standstill.
Seven overwater villas and one of the restaurants at Gili Lankanfushi were left in ashes after a fire had broken out in one of the villas. The fire raged for six hours before firefighters were able to bring it under control. Harsh winds also contributed to the spread of the fire inland, engulfing the hotel’s sushi restaurant, By the sea.
Though it is hard to say what exactly caused the catastrophic fire, a full investigation by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) to determine what sparked the blaze is currently underway.
All guests who were staying at the resort have been evacuated to neighboring resorts, with the Ministry of Tourism providing assistance to the guests in obtaining travel documents which were lost in the inferno.
The resort is also currently in touch with future bookings, working to see on rescheduling dates and providing refunds.
“I want to commend the bravery of our Gili staff for prioritising the well-being of our guests and calmly escorting them to safety as soon as the alarm was raised. And to express our deep gratitude to the firefighters from the Maldives National Defence Force who were able to contain the fire,” David Stepetic, General Manager of the resort said.
The resort, where villas cost as much as US$5,000 a night, and which is also one of the top five hotels in the world on TripAdvisor, will remain closed for the foreseeable future, although the management hopes to reopen later this year.
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