Flight with mortal remains of 45 killed in Kuwait fire arrives in Kochi; bodies being taken for last rites

New Delhi: The bodies of the Malayalees killed in the fire disaster in Kuwait have arrived in Kochi on Friday morning. The special Air Force aircraft that took off from Kuwait at 1 am local time, carrying the dead bodies of 45 Indians who dies in the tragic fire in a residential building in Kuwait, touched down at Kochi International Airport around 10:30 am.

The bodies of 31 of the dead will be brought to Kochi. Among them, 23 bodies are from Kerala, seven from Tamil Nadu and one in Karnataka. After laying the bodies for a brief view by those gathered at the airport, the bodies were being taken to the respective home towns of the deceased.

The Indian Embassy in Kuwait had stated on Thursday night that India will return the dead remains of 45 of its citizens who perished in a catastrophic fire in Kuwait City on Wednesday by means of a special flight that will land in Kochi on Friday morning before travelling to Delhi.

According to the statement, most of the deceased are from Kerala (23), followed by seven from Tamil Nadu, three each from Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, two from Odisha, and one each from Bihar, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Haryana.

Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, acting on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reached Kuwait on Thursday forenoon to coordinate with the Kuwaiti government for the early repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased as well as to ensure the well-being of those injured in the tragic fire incident at a labour housing facility in the Mangaf area on Wednesday, the statement said.

Out of the 176 Indian workers in the housing facility, 45 have died, while 33 are hospitalised and the rest are reportedly safe.

Immediately upon his arrival, the Minister visited five hospitals (Adan, Mubarak Al-Kabeer, Jaber, Farwaniya and Jahra), where the injured Indians are being treated, and interacted with them. According to hospital authorities, all the patients are reportedly safe and will be discharged progressively depending on their medical condition.

Kirti Vardhan Singh also called on First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence & Interior, Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud AI-Sabah, who conveyed the condolences on behalf of Kuwait's ruler, Sheikh Meshal AI-Ahmad Al-Jaber AI-Sabah, and assured full support and assistance for early repatriation of mortal remains of the deceased and proper medical care and attention to all those who are hospitalised.

The Minister also called on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Ali AI-Yahya, and Health Minister, Ahmad Abdelwahab Ahmad Al-Awadi, and both assured full support of the Kuwaiti government.

The Embassy, expressing its deepest condolences to the bereaved families, said that it has been in constant touch with the local authorities, ensuring all necessary assistance to those injured and those who have been safely evacuated from the accident site.

It said it has been operating a dedicated 24x7 helpline +965-65505246 (Whatsapp and regular call) for the family members of the deceased as well as those injured. Regular updates are being provided through the helpline.

With inputs from IANS