Around 40 Indians are understood to have died and over 50 injured in the blaze in a building housing around 195 migrant workers, officials said. Photo: X | @HardeepSPuri
Kuwait fire: 19 victims from Kerala, 5 from TN; MEA seeks early release of bodies
Forty-two of the 49 people killed were Indians; MoS Kirti to oversee aid to injured Indians and ensure early repatriation of mortal remains of those killed
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday (June 12) night spoke to his Kuwaiti counterpart Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya and urged him to ensure early repatriation of the mortal remains of those killed in a devastating fire in southern Kuwait's Mangaf area.
Of the 42 Indians who are believed to have died, 19 were from Kerala while five were from Tamil Nadu. Over 50 people were injured in the blaze in a building housing around 195 migrant workers, officials said.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George will travel to Kuwait on Thursday (June 13) to coordinate the efforts, the Kerala Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement.
Five Tamil victims
Tamil Nadu Minister for Minorities Welfare and Non-Resident Tamils’ Welfare, Gingee KS Masthan, said, quoting information shared so far by Tamil associations based abroad, that the victims belonged to Thanjavur, Ramanathapuram, and Peravurani regions of the state. They were identified as Rama Karuppan, Veerasamy Mariappan, Chinnadurai Krishnamurthy, Mohammed Sherif, and Richard.
Following Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s directive, all steps are being taken to bring home the bodies and ensure necessary medical care for the injured, he said.
“The Embassy (in Kuwait) has said that official information (on victims) will be provided to the state government. We are continuously monitoring the situation,” Masthan added.
Minister to travel to Kuwait
“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," Jaishankar said on 'X'.
"Urged the early repatriation of the mortal remains of those who lost their lives. He emphasised that those injured were getting the requisite medical attention," he said. "We will review the situation after MoS @KVSinghMPGonda reaches Kuwait tomorrow," he said.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh is urgently travelling to Kuwait following a direction from Prime Minister Narendra Modi primarily to oversee assistance to Indians injured in the fire and to ensure early repatriation of mortal remains of those killed.
Kerala govt announces compensation
The Kerala state government has announced an ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh to each family of the deceased and ₹1 lakh for the injured.
Besides this, Kerala businessmen MA Yusuf Ali and Ravi Pillai have pledged ₹5 lakh and ₹2 lakh respectively for the next of the kin of the deceased persons.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh for the families of the deceased.
(With inputs from agencies)
