Families of the Kuwait fire tragedy victims gathered outside one of the deceased victim’s houses in southern Kerala as they waited for more information on the repatriation of bodies and return of the injured on Thursday.
A relative of one of the deceased victims said his wife and mother had still not been informed of their son’s demise, as they awaited repatriation of his mortal remains.
Meanwhile, India’s junior foreign minister Kirti Vardhan Singh said an air force plane was ready to bring back the bodies of the victims as soon as they were identified.
Singh left for Kuwait on Thursday to assess the situation and assist Indian nationals better.
At least 49 people were killed in Kuwait on June 12 after a fire broke out in a building housing foreign workers, with Kuwait’s deputy prime minister accusing property owners of committing violations that contribute towards such incidents.
The nationalities of those who died were not immediately disclosed by authorities.
India’s ambassador visited hospitals where workers were treated for injuries sustained in the fire.
At one hospital, more than 30 Indian citizens were admitted, the embassy wrote on social media, adding that at least 47 workers had received treatment in hospitals.
Several Indians, including from the southern state of Kerala, were reported to have died in the fire, according to a letter written by Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to India’s foreign minister that was shared with the press.
Low-paid, blue-collar workers in the Gulf often live in overcrowded accommodation.
Local authorities did not disclose what kind of employment the workers were engaged in, though like in other Gulf states, Kuwait relies heavily upon foreign labour in industries like construction, including from South and Southeast Asia.
The fire in Mangaf, a city along the coast south of the capital Kuwait City, was reported to local authorities at 6am (0300 GMT), Major General Eid Rashed Hamad told state television.
It was later contained.
