Kuwait fire: MoS meets injured Indians, Cong demands ₹25 lakh ex-gratia for families | Top updates
MoS KV Singh met Indians who were injured during the massive fire in Kuwait, and reiterated that they are safe and receiving treatment.
An apartment building in Kuwait, housing foreign labour workers, left 49 workers dead and at least 50 injured. Out of the 49 casualties, 41 labourers were Indian, confirmed officials. Due to the magnitude of the incident, prompt action was called by both the Indian and Kuwaiti government.
Kuwait’s Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah, who visited the site, vowed a “resolute” response to building violations, whereby overcrowding is common in living quarters for poorly paid laborers and safety measures often compromised.
Meanwhile, India sent Union minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, to Kuwait to assess the situation and assist the Indian embassy in the country to repatriate the remains of those killed. Singh met the six injured Indians in the hospital, assuring their families that they were safe and receiving treatment.
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Kuwait fire: Top updates
- On Wednesday, a fire swept through a block of flats in Mangaf, south of Kuwait City. The 41 Indians killed in the fire were between the ages of 20 to 50 years. The fire in Kuwait was reportedly linked to code violations, local officers told the Associated Press.
- The Ministry of External Affairs said that India is receiving full cooperation from Kuwait. In its statement, the MEA said, “The Embassy continues to coordinate with local authorities to assist Indian nationals who have been injured in this unfortunate incident and extend all possible support.”
- Singh said that India is working with Kuwait for the early repatriation of the bodies of Indians who died in the fire. He also said that some of the bodies have been charred beyond recognition, which is why the identification process is taking time.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a review meeting on the incident and announced an ex-gratia amount of ₹2 lakh for the kin of those who died in the fire from the Prime Minister Relief Fund.
- Meanwhile, the Congress argued that the ex-gratia amount should be significantly higher that that allotted by the Centre.
- Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai said on Thursday, “The bereaved families should be given a compensation of at least ₹25 Lakhs each...In these times of inflation, ₹2 Lakhs hold no value...One member of each family should be given a job so that they can take care of their family. If the breadwinner of the family dies, in such a sad incident, the entire family breaks... ₹2 Lakhs compensation is very less...”
