Kuwait fire: 42 Indians killed in tragedy; who were they
What's the story
The fire in the Mangaf area of southern Kuwait on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of 42 Indian nationals, including at least 14 from Kerala.
Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian, and Nepalese laborers were also killed in the incident, which is now regarded as the worst building fire in Kuwait's history.
The total number of people killed in the Al-Mangaf building is estimated to be 49.
Safety
Residential building was 'overcrowded'
The fire has now called into question the housing conditions for workers, as well as actions against landlords and company owners.
The Kuwait Times newspaper reported that these owners "violate the law to house large numbers of foreign laborers in extremely unsafe conditions to cut costs."
After the fire in the residential building, local media reports claimed that the building was housing 196 workers and that it may have been overcrowded.
Casualties named
Victims identified among Indian migrant workers
Among the victims were several Kerala natives, including 48-year-old supervisor Vadakkottuvilayil Lukose of the NBTC group, who had been residing in Kuwait for 18 years.
Heavy vehicle driver Shameer Umarudheen from Vayyankara, Kerala, was also among those killed. Reports suggest that Umarudheen may have jumped off the flat in panic during the fire.
Another victim was Kelu Ponmaleri from Kasaragod, who worked as a production engineer with NBTC Group.
Thirty-four-year-old Ranjith had been working in Kuwait for the past decade.
Others
Deceased were aged between 20 and 50 years
A majority of the deceased were aged between 20 and 50 years, the Arab Times reported.
According to News18, 29-year-old Stephen Abraham Sabu, an engineer from Pampadi in Kottayam, Kerala, was among the deceased.
Sajan George, Akash S Nair, PV Muraleedharan, Chennasseril Saju Varghese, Thomas Oommen, Viswas Krishnan, MP Bahulayan, Thomas Joseph, Praveen Madhav, Bhoonath Richard Roy Anand, Anil Giri, Muhammed Shareef, Dwarikesh Patnaik, Viswas Krishnan, Arun Babu, Raymond, Jesus Lopez, and Denny Baby Karunakaran, are among those killed.
Official response
Indian government responds to Kuwait fire tragedy
Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, has departed for Kuwait to assess the situation.
Prior to his departure, Singh noted that some of the bodies had been charred beyond recognition and that DNA tests were underway to identify the victims.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his sadness over the incident and held a meeting with Ministry of External Affairs officials to discuss the situation.
Ongoing investigation
Investigation underway into Kuwait's deadliest building fire
The fire reportedly started in a kitchen on the ground floor of the six-storey building and quickly spread to other floors.
Preliminary investigations suggest a short circuit as the cause.
The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, has ordered an investigation into the fire and pledged to hold those responsible accountable.
The owner of the Mangaf building, the building's janitor, and the owner of NBTC group have been arrested pending investigation.