…police found the body of 24-year-old Amin Mia buried under garbage at Thilafushi, where he worked for the state-owned Waste Management Corporation.

CCTV footage of the worksite revealed the cause of death. On January 26, Amin was struck by an excavator, carried up and buried beneath trash. The excavator continued operating after striking him.

WAMCO did not report him missing for two days...

Amin hails from the Baherchar village of Bangladesh’s Brahmanbaria district. Like thousands of Bangladesh labourers leaving home to earn a decent living, he came to the Maldives in July last year...

WAMCO came under fire over its failure to report that Amin had been missing for two days, as he was suffocated under piles of trash. Questions were also raised about workplace safety. Security guards are stationed at the cordoned off worksite, but the excavator operator reportedly did not see Amin Mia climbing on top of the trash...

It took another incident involving a Maldivian man at a WAMCO worksite in Malé to prompt action from authorities.

On Wednesday, the Human Rights Commission announced an urgent investigation into occupational safety and health protocols at WAMCO due to “recurring workplace injuries”. The watchdog’s inquiry followed a Maldivian employee being hospitalised with critical injuries…