An Indian Air Force transport plane carrying the remains of 45 Indians who died in a building fire in Kuwait arrived at Cochin International Airport in Kerala last week. Union Minister of State V K Singh accompanied the bodies on the flight back to India.
The devastating fire in a labour accommodation in Mangaf, Kuwait, on June 12 claimed the lives of at least 45 Indians. Among the deceased, 23 were from Kerala, seven from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh, and one each from Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Punjab, and West Bengal.
Kuwaiti authorities conducted DNA testing to confirm the identities of the deceased and then handed over their remains to Indian officials.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, along with ministers K Rajan, P Rajeeve, and Veena George, received the bodies at the airport. Podiums were set up for ministers and others to pay their respects to the dead.
Authorities have confirmed the identities of 45 Indian and three Filipino victims. Preliminary investigations by Kuwaiti officials revealed that flammable materials used as partitions in the building contributed to the rapid spread of smoke, leading to suffocation of many victims. The victims were unable to escape to the rooftop as it was locked, according to Kuwait Fire Department Col Sayed Al-Mousawi. The building in southern Kuwait's Mangaf area housed around 195 migrant workers.
3 arrested
Kuwaiti authorities, meanwhile, arrested three people on charges of manslaughter and causing injuries due to negligence. Of the three who have been arrested, one is Kuwaiti and two are foreigners.
