Kuwait Fire Death Toll Of Keralites Rises To 24, Seven In Critical Condition: Official

The death toll of Keralites in the Kuwait fire incident has increased to 24, with seven individuals from the state seriously injured and currently receiving treatment in different hospitals across the Gulf nation, said a senior NORKA Roots official on Thursday.

Ajith Kolasseri, currently holding the additional charge of NORKA Chief Executive Officer, said that as per unofficial reports from its Kuwait help desk, the casualty count among Keralites is on the rise.

Previously, the state government reported that, according to the information received, 19 individuals from Kerala were among the fatalities in the incident. The number has since risen to 24.

Additionally, seven critically injured Keralites are currently receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Units of several hospitals in Kuwait, as reported to the press.

The official said the names and details of the victims could be provided only after confirmation from the External Affairs Ministry. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Kuwaiti counterpart Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya on the phone and urged him for early repatriation of the mortal remains of those killed.

"Spoke to Kuwaiti FM Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya on the fire tragedy in Kuwait. Apprised of the efforts made by Kuwaiti authorities in that regard. Was assured that the incident would be fully investigated and that responsibility will be fixed," Jaishankar said on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

According to the Kuwait authorities, a devastating fire broke out at dawn in a building housing around 195 migrant workers in southern Kuwait's Mangaf area. The total number of people killed in the Al-Mangaf building is 49 and 42 of them are learnt to be Indians; the remaining ones are Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian and Nepali nationals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who described the incident as "saddening", reviewed the situation at a meeting with External Affairs Minister, NSA Ajit Doval; Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra; and Principal Secretary to PM PK Mishra, among others.

Following the meeting, ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased Indian nationals from the PM Relief Fund was announced.

Kuwait's Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya has also assured full support to the Indians affected and vowed prompt investigation.

The Kuwaiti minister gave this assurance as Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, who is there to oversee relief efforts and meet the injured, called on him.

(With Text Inputs From PTI)