Kuwait Fire LIVE: MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh leaves for Kuwait to oversee assistance offered to injured Indians
Kuwait Fire LIVE: At least 49 people, including 42 Indians, died and many others were injured on Wednesday in a fire in a building in southern Kuwait that housed foreign workers. Local authorities detained the building’s owner to investigate possible negligence.
A fire broke out at 4:30 am in the Al-Mangaf building, a residence for workers, in Al-Ahmadi governorate, Kuwait.
Most victims died from smoke inhalation while sleeping. Kuwait’s interior ministry reported 49 deaths.
Sources revealed 42 Indians were among the dead, with others from Egypt, Nepal, Pakistan, and the Philippines. The victims were aged between 20 and 50 years. Most of the Indians who died or were injured were from Kerala.
India’s ambassador visited hospitals where injured workers were being treated.
Low-paid workers in the Gulf often live in crowded conditions. Authorities did not say what jobs the workers had, but like other Gulf states, Kuwait depends heavily on foreign labor for industries like construction, with many workers coming from South and Southeast Asia.
Emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah ordered an immediate investigation into the fire’s cause and promised to hold any responsible officials accountable.
The interior ministry reported that the death toll had risen to 49 and was investigating, searching the site for victims, and identifying those who had died, according to state media.
A senior police commander told state television that many people had died from smoke inhalation, and dozens were rescued. He mentioned that the building housed many workers and that authorities had warned against overcrowding but did not specify if regulations were violated.
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Thu, 13 Jun 2024 09:31 AM
Kuwait fire LIVE: Two more Keralites identified among 40 Indians killed
After the tragic Kuwait fire incident claimed the lives of about 40 Indians, two more victims from Kerala have been identified.
Lucose (48) and Sajan George (29), both from Kollam city in Kerala, were among those who lost their lives.
Lucose had been working as a supervisor at NBTC Company in Kuwait for 18 years. He is survived by his wife, Shiny, and two children, Lydia and Lois. His family shared that he had planned to return home next week.
Sajan George, an M.Tech graduate from Punalur in Kollam, had recently started working in Kuwait as a junior mechanical engineer, just a month before the tragic incident.
Thu, 13 Jun 2024 09:18 AM
Kuwait fire LIVE: 42 Indians killed in tragedy. Who were the Kerala natives?
Among the victims was Vadakkottuvilayil Lukose, aged 48, worked as a supervisor at NBTC Group, led by KG Abraham, a Kerala businessman, according to The Indian Express. Lukose was from Adichanalloor panchayat in Kollam and had been living in Kuwait for the past 18 years.
Shameer Umarudheen, a resident of Vayyankara in Kerala, worked as a heavy vehicle driver in Kuwait. Onmanorama, citing his relatives, reported that Shameer Umarudheen may have jumped from the building in panic during the fire. He was the second son of Umarudheen and Safeena and was married to Surumi.
Thu, 13 Jun 2024 08:47 AM
Kuwait fire LIVE | ICYMI: Jaishankar speaks to Kuwaiti Foreign Minister
After the deadly fire in Kuwait that claimed about 40 Indian lives, the External Affairs Minister spoke with his Kuwaiti counterpart Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya. He requested that the mortal remains of those who died be brought back to India as soon as possible. Jaishankar also mentioned that he received assurance that a thorough investigation into the incident would be conducted.
“Spoke to Kuwaiti FM Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya on the fire tragedy in Kuwait. Apprised of the efforts made by Kuwaiti authorities in that regard. Was assured that the incident would be fully investigated and that responsibility will be fixed,” he said on X.
Thu, 13 Jun 2024 08:45 AM
Kuwait fire LIVE: Many Keralites lost lives in Kuwait fire incident
The fire in Kuwait took the lives of about 40 Indian workers, including Shameer, a 30-year-old from Sooranad village in Kerala’s Kollam district. The Ministry of External Affairs reported that around 40 Indians died and more than 50 were injured in the fire at a labor housing facility in Mangaf. The injured are receiving treatment in five government hospitals in Kuwait.
Shameer’s relative, said, “He (Shameer) left here five years ago. He works for a company in Kuwait run by three people from Pathanamthitta. Two years ago, he came back and got married, and it’s been eight months since he left again.”
Thu, 13 Jun 2024 08:32 AM
Kuwait Fire LIVE: MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh leaves for Kuwait
Before going to Kuwait to help the injured Indians and arrange for the return of those who died, Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, said that some bodies were burned beyond recognition.
Speaking to ANI at the Delhi Airport, she said, “The rest of the situation will be clear the moment we reach there. We had a meeting last evening with the Prime Minister, that is the last update we have about this very sad tragedy… The rest of the situation will be clear the moment we reach there…”
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