Nobody was killed or injured when The Whaler, Dolphin EnCOuntours and Simply Scuba burnt down on Friday morning. At least 110 bungalows and various other buildings were destroyed.

Stuart Mather-Pike, owner of Simply Scuba, told reporters that a man who was staying at Dolphin EnCOuntours was woken by a noise at about 03:00. When he went outside, a woman came running out of her bungalow wrapped in a towel, screaming "I knocked it over, I knocked it over."

This woman had apparently been sleeping with a candle next to her bed. She reportedly knocked it over in her sleep, causing the thatch roof to catch fire. The woman hasn't been seen since.

Hilton Jessiman co-owner of The Whaler told reporters from News24 that he was woken by people at Dolphin EnCOuntours who were screaming that their camp was on fire.

"It took us years to get the resorts to the level they were at. And within an hour, nothing was left," Jessiman added.

Officials from the Mozambican government are expected to investigate and assess the damage at the resorts on Monday.

It is estimated to be several million rands.

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