State, Central Ministers Express Grief As Bodies Of Kuwait Fire Victims Return Home. Here's What They Said

A wave of condolences and sorrow was witnessed on Friday from state and ministers over the tragic death of 45 Indian migrant workers in a housing fire in Kuwait. An Indian Air Force (IAF) flight carrying the mortal remains of the Indians who died in the tragic fire incident in Kuwait, landed at the international airport in Kochi earlier today.

The bodies of Indian migrant workers were received at the international airport in Kochi by Central and state ministers, including Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Of the 45 mortal remains, 31 were received at the airport in Kochi.

Here’s what the ministers said after the mortal remains of Indians returned home:

Kerala Chief Minister

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, “It is a never-ending loss for the families. The Government of Kuwait has taken effective and impeccable measures. It is expected that the follow-up will be flawless. When it came to know about the disaster, the Government of India also intervened in a proper manner in the case of those who died in the Kuwait disaster.” “It is hoped that the Kuwaiti government will take the lead in providing adequate compensation to the families,” Vijayan said.

MoS MEA Kirti Vardhan Singh

“I want to pay my heartfelt condolences to the families of the people who lost their lives in this accident. It is a very tragic incident and we are all very sad about it. The moment our Govt got to know that this incident had taken place, PM Modi immediately convened a meeting and instructed us to reach Kuwait immediately and take all possible steps so that the mortal remains could be brought back as soon as possible.

“…We also visited 5 hospitals where there were around 32 to 35 patients of Indian origin who were being treated there. We spoke to them individually. We inquired about the health and all the hospitals and directors were there. I would also like to thank the hospital staff of each hospital for the exceptional care they are taking of those patients. Most of them are likely to be discharged in a couple of days.”

Union Minister Suresh Gopi

“The tragedy is so voluminous and impactful, that it is a thud on the ‘pravaasi’ community, which helped the economic situation in Kerala… The state and the country have very high regard for the ‘pravaasi’ community and it is very painful. The individual loss is of every home which has been implicated by this tragedy… India will play its role very well because we have initiated action as soon as the news was received,” Gopi was quoted as saying by ANI.

“The GoI will take appropriate actions and decisions and make very appropriate deliverances… A flock of Malayalis and Indians will get into the fray of the resurgence of some families… We have our contingent working to look after people in all health conditions. They will be brought back to India and their rehabilitation will also be taken care of. It’s no graciousness, it is the duty of the GoI and the state government also,” he added.

Kerala Health Minister

“It will not take much time for the public homage. Everything will be done in minimum time. We are only waiting for the official procedures to be done. Everybody is numbered, all the ambulances are numbered, and the addresses are given to the ambulances. Everything is done in coordination with the police… Everything will be done in the interest of the families,” Kerala Health Minister Veena George said.

“The embassy has not yet declared the number of injured persons who are being treated in the hospitals. According to unofficial information which we collected, 30 people from Kerala are undergoing treatment out of which 7 are in the ICU,” she added.

Kuwaiti Embassy

“The Embassy of the State of Kuwait to the friendly Republic of India expresses its deepest condolences and solidarity with the government of the Republic of India and its people over the victims of the tragic fire that broke out in a residential building in Al-Mangaf area of Kuwait capital, claiming the lives of dozens of Indians and leaving others injured,” said the Kuwaiti mission in India.

“The embassy also conveyed its sincere condolences to the families and relatives of the victims, and wished a speedy recovery to those injured, while praying God Almighty to bless the victims with His great mercy and forgiveness and give their families good patience and solace,” it added.

Earlier today, the IAF C30J aircraft carrying the bodies of the Indians reached the Kochi airport. Bodies of 23 Keralites, 7 Tamilians, and one person from Karnataka were offloaded there. Officials had said that 49 people were killed in the fire in the Al-Mangaf building on June 12 and majority of them were Indians; the remaining were Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian and Nepali nationals. The building in southern Kuwait’s Mangaf area housed around 195 migrant workers.