A special Air Force aircraft has taken off from Kuwait carrying the bodies of 45 Indians, who died in a massive fire in the Gulf country two days ago. The plane is expected to land in Kerala’s Kochi around 11 am and then leave for Delhi. Gonda MP Kirti Vardhan Singh, who had to rush to Kuwait soon after taking charge as a junior minister in the foreign ministry, is also returning in the same aircraft.
A special IAF aircraft carrying mortal remains of 45 Indian victims in the fire incident in Kuwait has taken off for Kochi.
MoS @KVSinghMPGonda, who coordinated with Kuwaiti authorities ensuring swift repatriation, is onboard the aircraft pic.twitter.com/091hBNWzLL
— India in Kuwait (@indembkwt) June 13, 2024
“A special IAF aircraft carrying mortal remains of 45 Indian victims in the fire incident in Kuwait has taken off for Kochi. MoS @KVSinghMPGonda, who coordinated with Kuwaiti authorities ensuring swift repatriation, is onboard the aircraft,” said the Indian embassy in Kuwait.
Ambulances are on standby at the Cochin airport where the plane will land, showed visuals online.
A massive fire erupted in a six-storied building in Mangaf city on Wednesday, killing at least 48 people. Out of the 176 Indian workers in the housing facility, 45 died and 33 are hospitalized, the embassy said. The rest are reportedly safe.
The victims include 23 from Kerala, seven from Tamil Nadu, three from Uttar Pradesh, two from Odisha, and one each from Bihar, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Haryana.
Mr Singh reached Kuwait on Thursday and visited five hospitals where the injured Indian workers are being treated. They will be discharged progressively depending on their health, the embassy said citing hospital authorities.
During his visit, the minister also met the First Deputy Prime Minister, Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousuf Al-Sabah, who assured him of full support and assistance in the early repatriation of the bodies.
The bodies were charred beyond recognition and DNA testing was done on them to confirm the victims’ identities, said the minister yesterday. The authorities have identified 48 bodies, among which 45 are of Indians and three are of Filipino nationality, a report quoted Mr Al-Sabah as saying.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has reviewed the tragic incident, has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for those who died in the Kuwait fire.
The local administration in Kuwait is also probing how more than 160 people were staying in the building.
