At least 49 Indian workers killed in building fire in Kuwait
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Following a massive fire engulfing a building housing migrant workers, at least 49 Indian laborers have died due to suffocation from smoke.
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India’s Minister of State for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh visits survivors of the fire that broke out in a residential complex in Kuwait, June 13, 2024. (Social media)
At least 49 Indian nationals died in a fire engulfing a residential building housing foreign laborers in Kuwait on Monday.
Over 50 people were injured in the fire that erupted in the early hours of Monday in a six-story building south of Kuwait City.
Unverified images shared on social media showed flames engulfing the lower floors and black smoke billowing from the upper-story windows.
The Interior Ministry updated the death toll to 49, up from 35, after forensic teams searched the building.
Kuwait News Agency quoted Health Minister Ahmad al-Awadhi saying that hospitals had received 56 injured people in the fire in the Mangaf area, a region densely populated with migrant workers.
The building accommodated 196 workers, according to information provided to the interior minister by their employer.
According to a source in Kuwait's fire department, the victims were killed by suffocation from smoke rising from the fire.
India takes action
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X to express his condolences to the deceased and affirm that assistance will be extended to those affected by the "gruesome tragedy". He also stated that the Indian embassy in Kuwait was working closely with Kuwaiti authorities to assist the affected.
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
Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh arrived in Kuwait earlier on Thursday to repatriate the deceased and met with the injured at Jaber Hospital in the city.
On the directions of PM @narendramodi ji, MoS @KVSinghMPGonda arrived in Kuwait and immediately rushed to Jaber hospital to ascertain well being of injured Indians in the fire incident yesterday. He met the 6 injured admitted at the hospital. All of them are safe. pic.twitter.com/p7DrKItfIM
— India in Kuwait (@indembkwt) June 13, 2024
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar expressed that he was “deeply shocked by the news” and extended his “deepest condolences to the families of those who tragically lost their lives.”
He spoke with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Abdullah al-Yahya, who expressed his condolences on behalf of the leadership, government, and people of the State of Kuwait, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. Yahya also “wished for a speedy recovery for those injured in this painful disaster” and mentioned that Kuwaiti authorities were “utilizing all their capabilities” to aid them.
The Interior Minister, Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef, announced that the building’s owner had been detained for potential negligence and stated that any properties violating safety regulations would be closed immediately.
