Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh meets Indians injured in the Mangaf fire incident, at Jaber Hospital, in Kuwait on June 13, 2024. | Photo Credit: ANI
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh on June 13 arrived in Kuwait to oversee the relief for those injured in the massive fire in the apartment of the foreign workers and for the early repatriation of the bodies of around 40 Indians who died in the tragic incident.
At least 49 foreign workers were killed and 50 others injured in a fire on June 12 in a seven-story building housing 195 migrant workers in the southern town of Mangaf.
“On the direction of Prime Minister @narendramodi, MoS@KVSinghMPGonda has arrived in Kuwait to oversee the relief to those injured in the fire tragedy and coordinate with local authorities for the early repatriation of the bodies of those who died in this unfortunate incident,” the Indian Embassy in Kuwait sent in X.
Kuwaiti authorities are conducting DNA tests on the bodies of those killed in a fire incident in Kuwait’s southern Mangaf region and an IAF plane is on standby to bring the bodies of Indians killed in the incident, an official in New Delhi said on June 13. .
“In an unfortunate and tragic fire incident earlier today at a Labor housing facility in the Mangaf area of ​​Kuwait, around 40 Indians are understood to have died and over 50 injured,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement late on June 12 night. .
Prime Minister Modi, who described the incident as “sad”, reviewed the situation in a meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and Principal Secretary to PM PK Mishra among others.
After the meeting, the Prime Minister announced an ex-gratia relief of ₹2 lakh to the families of the deceased Indian citizens from the PM Relief Fund and directed that the government should provide all possible assistance.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh arrives at Jaber Hospital to meet Indians injured in the Mangaf fire incident, in Kuwait on June 13, 2024. | Photo Credit: ANI
The Foreign Minister spoke to his Kuwaiti counterpart Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya on the phone and asked for the early repatriation of the remains of the dead.
“Speaking with the FM of Kuwait Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya about the fire tragedy in Kuwait. Appreciated by the efforts made by the Kuwaiti authorities in this regard. It is assured that the incident will be fully investigated and the responsibility will be overcome,” said Mr. Jaishankar in ‘X’.
“He urged the early repatriation of the remains of the dead. He insisted that the injured receive the necessary medical care,” he said.
The official said most of the Indian victims were from Kerala.
Smoke gathers after a fire broke out in a building, in Mangaf, Kuwait on June 12, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI
The fire broke out just after 4:00 am when most of the 196 residents in the building were sleeping. This caused a cloud of thick black smoke that suffocated many victims, according to officials from the Ministry of Interior and the fire department.
The Indian Mission in Kuwait ascertained the full details of the concerned Kuwaiti authorities regarding the incident.
The injured are now admitted to five government hospitals (Adan, Jaber, Farwaniya, Mubarak Al Kabeer and Jahra hospitals) in Kuwait and are receiving proper medical care and attention. According to hospital authorities, most of the admitted patients are stable.
After the incident, the Indian Ambassador to Kuwait, Adarsh ​​​​Swaika, immediately visited the scene of the incident and also the hospital to ensure the welfare of the Indian citizen.
Kuwaiti police officers are seen in front of a burning building after a deadly fire, in Mangaf, southern Kuwait on June 12, 2024. | Photo credit: Reuters
The Embassy continues to coordinate with local authorities to assist Indian nationals who have been injured in this unfortunate incident and extend all possible support. The Embassy receives the full cooperation of the Kuwaiti authorities.
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Interior Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah ordered the arrest of the Kuwaiti building owner and the Egyptian building guard and warned the officials not to release them without permission.
The minister told reporters that the fire was a disaster, and that from June 13, a team from the municipality will start inspecting all buildings and have the authority to remove violations without warning.
He said that the authorities will also start from June 13 to study the problem of overcrowding of expatriate workers in buildings and failure to comply with safety conditions.
Indian Ambassador to Kuwait Adarsh ​​​​Swaika visits the hospital where workers who suffered injuries in a fire in a building have been admitted, in Mangaf, Kuwait on June 12, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI
The public prosecutor has launched an investigation into the fire to discover the circumstances behind the incident and what could have caused the deadly inferno, he said in X, praising the country’s response to the disaster.
There is no official word on how the fire started or what caused it. Some local media reported that there was a gas leak from the ground floor of the building.
The head of the investigation at the Kuwait Fire Department, Col. Sayed Al-Mousawi, said that the team investigating the cause of the fire found that flammable materials were used as partitions between apartments and also between rooms, which caused black smoke. He said many of the victims suffocated when they tried to run downstairs because of the smoke, adding that the victims could not go to the roof because the doors were locked.
