Kuwait: 41 Indians died in a fire in a multi-storey building in Mangaf city of Kuwait. By the way, a total of 49 foreign workers have died in this massive fire. Most of the 50 injured people are also Indians.
In view of the seriousness of the matter, the Government of India has immediately sent Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh to Kuwait, who will work with the local administration to provide relief to the injured and help bring back the bodies of the dead.
S Jaishankar expressed deep condolences on this incident
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have expressed deep condolences on this incident. About 10 lakh Indians live in this country with abundant oil reserves, which is 21 percent of the population there. Out of these, nine lakh Indians contribute as workers.
In the past, the matter of poor condition of Indian workers living in Kuwait and other Gulf countries has come to the fore many times.
Emir Sheikh Meshaal said no one will be spared
Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ordered officials to investigate the fire and said that those who caused this tragedy will be held accountable.
According to the information received from Kuwaiti media and the Indian Embassy there, a fire broke out in a six-storey building located in Mangaf area of south Kuwait at 6 am local time. The fire probably spread from a kitchen to the entire building.
This building was taken by a local company, in which about two hundred workers were accommodated, while its capacity was very low. Most of the deaths have occurred due to suffocation in smoke.
The Indian Embassy has said that an emergency helpline number +965-65505246 has been issued in connection with the tragic incident with the Indian workers. All concerned people have been requested to connect to this helpline for updates.
Kuwait’s Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousuf has held the owner of the building responsible for this incident and has ordered his arrest. Also, the owner of the company whose workers were kept together in it has also been ordered to be arrested.
Sheikh Fahad has said that this incident has happened due to the greed of the building owner. The company had stuffed a large number of workers in a single building for its own benefit. We will ensure that such an incident does not happen again. It has also been reported that there are many such buildings in Mangaf area, where hundreds of workers are forced to live in very poor conditions.
PM Modi expressed grief
PM Modi has said on this incident that the incident of fire in Kuwait city is very sad. I express my condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. I wish for the speedy recovery of the injured people. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait is keeping a close eye on the entire incident and is working to provide relief in collaboration with the local administration.
Foreign Minister Jaishankar has said that he is shocked by the incident of fire in Kuwait city. Our ambassador has reached the spot. More information is expected. We are ready to provide all kinds of help to the affected people.
Soon after this, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that on the instructions of PM Modi, the Minister of State for External Affairs is being immediately sent to Kuwait, so that he can help in establishing coordination between the people affected by the fire and the local administration.
