Fire in Kuwait: 49 killed
//Daily World International Desk//
At least 49 people have died in a massive fire in a multi-storey residential building in the southern Mangaf area of Kuwait. 41 of them are Indians.
The fire happened early on Wednesday (June 12).
Officials said the fire broke out in the kitchen of one floor of the building and spread. At that time the residents of the building were sleeping. Most of the residents died of smoke suffocation.
40 more people injured in this incident are under treatment in the hospital. According to Kuwaiti officials, about 160 people lived in that building. All of them were employed in one company. They did various works related to construction.
According to Arab Times, most of the dead Indians are from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and various states of North India. Their age is between 20 to 50 years.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families of those killed in the incident. In a post on X, he wrote, “The loss of life in the fire in the city of Kuwait is sad. My condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones in this incident.
A high-level meeting is being held at the residence of the Prime Minister of India in New Delhi regarding the next steps to be taken in this tragic incident.
It is learned that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote a letter to Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday demanding the Centre’s intervention in the Kuwait fire incident.
Vijayan wrote in the letter that he had received reports that a camp known as NBTC camp in Mangaf, Kuwait had caught fire and several Indian nationals, including some from Kerala, had lost their lives. Many people were seriously injured.
I request you to contact the Kuwaiti government and give necessary instructions to the Indian Embassy to coordinate the relief and rescue operations, the letter added.
Sheikh Fahad Al-Yusuf Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister of Kuwait, said that the loss of life in the fire was due to the greed of the company employing the workers and the building owners.
The building was rented by NBTC Group. According to media reports, the owner is KG Abraham, a businessman from Kerala, India. In Gulf countries including Kuwait, such buildings are usually arranged to house people who do such work, including construction workers. Expatriate workers have to live in piles there.
