'Responsibility will be fixed'External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Kuwaiti counterpart Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya over the phone and requested him to ensure that the bodies of Indians who lost their lives due to the fire are sent to India soon. Jaishankar posted on 'X', "(I) spoke to Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya on the incident of fire in Kuwait. (I) was informed about the efforts made by the Kuwaiti authorities in this regard. (I) was assured that the incident will be thoroughly investigated and responsibility will be fixed. "He wrote, "(I) appealed that the bodies of those who lost their lives should be sent to their country soon. He said that the injured are being treated properly.PM Modi expressed griefOn the instructions of Prime Minister Modi, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh has gone to Kuwait to monitor the assistance to the Indians injured in the fire and to assist in the work of bringing back the bodies of those killed. According to the government statement, Modi wished the injured a speedy recovery and directed that the Government of India provide all possible assistance. Modi said in a post on 'X', "The fire incident in Kuwait City is sad. My condolences are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I wish the injured a speedy recovery. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait is closely monitoring the situation and is working with the authorities to assist the affected there. "The injured are being treated in the hospitalIn a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said that the Indian Embassy in Kuwait is engaged in collecting full details from the Kuwaiti authorities. It said, "Those injured in Kuwait have been admitted to five government hospitals (Aden, Jaber, Farwaniya, Mubarak Al Kabir and Jahra) and are being given appropriate treatment." The ministry said, "According to the hospital administration, the health condition of most of the admitted patients is stable." Indian Ambassador to Kuwait Adarsh Sweika visited several hospitals, including the hospital where the injured have been admitted.195 workers of the same company lived in the buildingThe Ministry of External Affairs said, "The embassy is in touch with the local authorities to help those injured in this unfortunate incident and to provide them all possible assistance. The embassy is getting full cooperation from the Kuwaiti administration." Officials said that most of the injured Indians are from Kerala. Officials said that most of the people died due to suffocation from smoke while they were sleeping. He said that many people were rescued. He said that the fire broke out in the kitchen of the six-storey building in Mangaf area of Kuwait's southern Ahmadi governorate. He said that 195 workers of the same company lived in the building.What Kuwait Times saidThe Home Ministry said in a statement that the death toll from the fire has reached 49, the Kuwait Times newspaper reported. The ministry said personnel from the Criminal Evidence Department are currently working on identifying the dead at the scene and determining the cause of the fire. It said strict measures would be taken against building owners who violate the law. "Unfortunately, we received a report of a fire in the Mangaf area at exactly 6:00 am (8:30 am Indian time)," said Major General Eid al-Owaihan, head of the Home Ministry's General Criminal Evidence Department.Five firefighters injuredThe English daily Arab Times quoted Owaihan as saying that most of the dead were citizens of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and North Indian states aged between 20 and 50 years. The building in question was rented by the NBTC Group. Sources said some citizens of other countries were also among the dead. He said five firefighters were injured during the rescue operation.Helpline number releasedThe Indian Embassy in Kuwait said in a post on 'X', "In connection with the tragic fire accident involving Indian workers, the Embassy has released an emergency helpline number: +965-65505246. All concerned are requested to connect to this helpline for information. The Embassy is committed to provide all possible assistance."Indian officials in active modeIndians constitute 21 per cent (10 lakh) of Kuwait's total population and 30 per cent (about nine lakh) of its workforce. Indian Ambassador to Kuwait Adarsh Swaika visited the spot and later various hospitals (Al-Adan Hospital, Farwaniya Hospital, Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital and Jahra Hospital) where more than 50 injured Indian workers have been admitted. The Indian Embassy said it is in touch with Kuwaiti law enforcement authorities, fire service and health department for necessary action.'Result of greed'Kuwait's Home Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousuf Al Sabah ordered an investigation into the fire incident and issued instructions to arrest the owner and watchman of the Al-Mangaf building. Kuwait Times quoted Al Sabah as saying, "What happened is the result of the greed of the company and the building owners." Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also ordered officials to investigate the massive fire and vowed to punish those responsible for the tragedy. The country's Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah mourned the deaths and wished the injured a speedy recovery.The scene was horrifyingEyewitnesses said that they were scared to see the flames in the building. One of these eyewitnesses, recalling the incident, said that a person jumped from the fifth floor of the building and died a tragic death after hitting the edge of the balcony.The fire mishap in Kuwait City is saddening. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait is closely monitoring the situation and working with the authorities there to assist… https://t.co/cb7GHN6gmX
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 12, 2024