The nonstop wailing cries across dozens of houses in Kerala tell the story of a heart-wrenching tragedy, as 24 people from the state has been killed in a devastating fire at a labor housing facility in the Mangaf area of Kuwait on Wednesday.
Ajith Kolasseri, who is holding additional charge of the NORKA Chief Executive Officer, said according to the information provided by its help desk in Kuwait unofficially, the number of casualties among Keralites are continuously rising. It was 12 in the morning, later updated to 19, and now it stands at 24.
Further, he also informed that seven seriously injured Keralites are also being treated in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of various hospitals in Kuwait, he told reporters.
Identities of 15 deceased from the state ascertained
Among those killed from Kerala was 29-year-old Ibrahim Sabu from Kottayam. An engineer in Kuwait, Sabu was eagerly anticipating his return to Kerala next month for the griha pravesh of his new home. He had last visited India six months ago. Further, another casualty from Kottayam district was 27-year-old Sreehari, a mechanical engineer who had just arrived in Kuwait on June 5. His father identified his body there.
Moreover, Ranjith, a resident of northern Kerala, was also among the victims. He had planned to return to his village for a vacation in July, but his untimely demise has now left his village in mourning. Ranjith's parents were looking for a girl for his marriage, a dream now shattered.
Other names of the deceased from Kerala, though unofficially confirmed, include Viswas Krishnan (Kannur), Kelu (Kasargod), Stephin Abraham (Kottayam), Shameer (Kollam), Akash Sasidharan (Pathanamthitta), Muraleedharan Nair (Pathanamthitta), Saju Varghese (Pathanamthitta), Lukose (Kollam), Sajan George (Kollam), Thomas Umman (Pathanamthitta), Thomas Mathew Mathew (Pathanamthitta), Bahuleyan (Malappuram) and Nooh (Malappuram).
PM Modi reviews fire tragedy in Kuwait
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the fire mishap, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, MoS MEA Kirtivardhan Singh, and other senior officials held a review meeting on June 12.
While extending his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased, PM Modi during the meeting directed the MoS MEA to immediately travel to Kuwait to oversee the relief measures and facilitate expeditious repatriation of the mortal remains.
He said, "GoI is doing everything possible to assist those affected by this gruesome fire tragedy."
Further, it is pertinent to note that the government has announced ex-gratia relief of Rupees 2 lakh to the families of the deceased Indian nationals from Prime Minister Relief Fund. In a separate, the Kerala government too announced Rs 5 lakh financial assistance to the to the next of kin og deceased died in the Kuwait fire tragedy.
Earlier, speaking of the incident, PM Modi said, "The fire mishap in Kuwait City is saddening. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait is closely monitoring the situation and working with the authorities there to assist the affected."
Kuwait fire tragedy to be fully investigated
Significantly, in the aftermath of the fire tragedy, the Kuwaiti authorities had assured that the accident would be fully investigated and that responsibility would be fixed.
Speaking to External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya apprised him of the efforts made by Kuwaiti authorities to care for the injured and further said that the incident would be fully investigated and that responsibility will be fixed.
Moreover, during the call, the EAM also urged the early repatriation of the mortal remains of those who lost their lives.
READ MORE | Kuwait fire: Bodies charred beyond recognition, Air Force plane will bring them back, says MoS
READ MORE | PM Modi chairs high-level review meet on Kuwait fire tragedy, announces ex-gratia for Indian victims
