An Indian Air Force flight has returned the bodies of 45 Indian workers who perished in a fire in Kuwait. The blaze erupted on Wednesday at a residential building in Mangaf city, housing 176 Indian workers. Kuwaiti authorities reported that the fire claimed 50 lives, including 45 Indians and three Filipinos, with two bodies yet to be identified.
Indian minister Kirti Vardhan Singh arrived in Kuwait to coordinate the identification and repatriation of the victims. DNA tests are being conducted to confirm identities. The deceased workers hailed from various Indian states: 23 from Kerala, seven from Tamil Nadu, three each from Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, two from Odisha, and one each from Bihar, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Haryana.
The bodies were flown to Kerala’s Kochi city on Friday morning for a ceremonial reception, before continuing to Delhi. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other officials were at the airport to pay respects. The state has arranged ambulances for transporting the bodies to their respective homes for last rites. Both state and federal governments have announced compensation for the victims’ families.
“This is a huge tragedy for our country. Kerala’s migrant workers are the lifeblood of our state. The fire in Kuwait is one of the biggest tragedies to affect our community,” said Chief Minister Vijayan.
In Kuwait, authorities are inspecting health and safety conditions in buildings housing foreign workers. An investigation revealed that the fire started due to an electrical short circuit in the security guard’s room on the ground floor of the six-story building. It was also found that flammable materials had been used as partitions between rooms. Kuwait’s Public Prosecution has detained several individuals on charges of manslaughter and negligence for not implementing fire safety measures.
Sheikh Fahad Yusuf al-Sabah, Kuwait’s deputy prime minister, blamed property owners’ greed and violations of building standards for the tragedy. The incident has spotlighted the precarious living conditions of foreign workers, who constitute two-thirds of Kuwait’s population and are essential to its economy.
Melissa Enoch
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