A fire broke out in a house in an apartment block while cooking early yesterday morning.
One of the Gulf countries, Kuwait has a large diaspora population.
Being the world’s leading oil producer, many people from different countries live in Kuwait to work in oil fields and refineries.
Most of them are Indians. Like other Gulf countries, Indians also live in large numbers in Kuwait.
Indians make up 21 percent of Kuwait’s total population, about 10 lakh. And 30 percent (about 9 lakh) of the country’s working class are from India.
Many Indians working in companies in Kuwait are staying with their families. At the same time, there are more people who leave their families here and live alone.
They mostly stay in accommodation provided by the companies they work for.
In that way, the famous NPTC operating in Kuwait. All the employees of the company were housed in an apartment in Mangab, in the southern part of Kuwait’s Ahmadi Governorate.
About 200 people stayed in the 6-storey apartment. Most of the people staying in the area, known as the labor camp, were Indians. Most of them are from South India like Kerala and Tamilnadu.
A fire broke out in a house in this apartment while cooking early yesterday morning.
The fire spread rapidly and spread to adjacent houses and floors. Due to this, the entire area was surrounded by sugar cane and caused great shock and excitement.
As it was early morning, many people were sleeping. As a result, they burned themselves in their sleep. At the same time many people suffered from suffocation due to smoke.
Many workers who were burnt and suffocated died on the spot. More people died of suffocation than burned bodies.
At the same time, many people jumped down from the floors as there was no way to escape when the fire broke out. Some were seriously injured and died.
As a result, the entire area was seen in a frenzy of death screams and screams.
On getting information about this, firemen rushed in more than 5 fire engines and started extinguishing the fire in the apartment.
They also rescued those who were burnt and suffocating and sent them to nearby hospitals. Similarly, people who were trapped in the fire and could not get out were also rescued alive.
49 people tragically lost their lives in this heart-wrenching incident. Most of them are Indians.
It is reported that both Tamils have been killed in this unfortunate incident.
More than 50 people were injured in this incident and have been admitted to nearby hospitals for treatment. It has been reported that the condition of many of them is critical.
So the death toll is feared to rise further.
The Indian Embassy in Kuwait took immediate action after learning about the fire. The embassy, which has taken up the task of collecting the details of the Indian victims, has also issued an emergency helpline number (+965-65505246) for the families to contact in this regard.
Indian Ambassador Adarsh Swaika also visited the site of the fire. Later he visited the hospitals where the injured were being treated and inquired about their condition.
At that time, the hospital management said that many of the patients will be discharged tomorrow. Those who need to stay and receive treatment are said to be in stable condition.
The Indian Embassy, which has released this information, has said that it is taking steps to immediately send the bodies of the deceased Indians home.
The X site also mentioned that they are continuously talking with the Kuwaiti authorities in this regard.
This fire accident which has caused great shock at the international level has caused great anger to the rulers of Kuwait.
Kuwaiti King Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ordered an immediate investigation into the fire. He also assured that strict action will be taken against those responsible for this.
Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khalat Al-Hamad Al-Sabah expressed his condolences to the families of those who died in the accident.
He also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Bahad Al-Yusuf Al-Sabah ordered the police to arrest the owner of the apartment building, the watchman, and the owner of the company where the workers were employed.
He attributed the increase to the greed of the company and building owners and directed the civic authorities to inspect other buildings with similar violations.
Following the massive fire, the Kuwaiti Municipal Corporation has suspended various key officials.
After learning about the fire, Prime Minister Modi has expressed deep concern.
Regarding this, he said on his X site, ‘The fire incident in Kuwait City has caused great sadness. My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait is closely monitoring the situation there. “We are working with the authorities of that country to help the victims,” he said.
Similarly, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar also expressed his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the fire accident.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Kirtivardhan Singh rushed to Kuwait yesterday to help the victims of the fire and to send the bodies of the deceased to India as soon as possible.
The Ministry of External Affairs said that he left on the instructions of Prime Minister Modi.
The Congress party has also expressed condolences to the families of the victims of the fire. It has also requested the central government to provide all possible assistance to the victims.
Most of the Indians who died in this horrific incident were from Kerala. Hence Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to External Affairs Minister Jaishankar to take necessary steps for this rescue and relief work.
This tragic end of the innocent people who left their families and children and went abroad in search of survival has caused great sadness all over India.
What is the reason for the increase in the number of victims?
Many of the workers were fast asleep when the fire broke out in the Kuwaiti apartment building. Awakened by the heat and smoke suffocation of the smoldering fire, they stumbled for a way out. However, they were disappointed as they ran towards the ground floor of the building to get out. Because all the exit doors on the ground floors were locked.
Due to this, they ran here and there in tension and their breathing increased and they fell down and died. Some jumped down from the floor. There were also casualties. A tearful eyewitness said that a person who jumped from the 5th floor crashed into a balcony wall on another floor and fell to his death.
Survivors said that after the firemen arrived at the scene, many of them went to the terrace of the building to protect themselves from the flames and smoke.
42 of those killed in the fire were Indians
49 people died in the terrible fire that broke out in Kuwait yesterday. Initial reports were that most of them were Indians. Later, identification of the deceased took place. The last available information said that 42 of the victims were identified as Indians. The rest are from Pakistan, Philippines, Egypt and Nepal.
Following the accident, Prime Minister Modi held an emergency meeting with the high-level delegation. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and others participated in it.
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