Kuwait fire: Water tank saves the day for Nalinakshan from Kerala

The fire has claimed the lives of 49 foreign workers including around 40 Indians with 50 others sustaining injuries.

When he last visited his family for the Kaliyattam festival in March, expat Nalinakshan from Kasargod district in northern Kerala would have never thought it would be a narrow escape from death for him few months later.

Kuwait authorities have reported that the fire emerged from a seven-story building in Mangaf in the Ahmadi Governorate (PTI)

“It was only when I was on the brink of being engulfed by flames that I recalled the water tank below. I realised it was close enough to jump to. Without a second thought, I leapt towards it," said Nalinakshan, an expatriate in Kuwait for more than a decade after saving himself from the blaze by jumping into a water tank, according to Onmanorama.

With around 40 Indians including 24 Malayalis (according to NORKA Roots) losing their lives in the Kuwait fire which broke out on Wednesday, the escape of Nalinakshan offers a glimmer of relief, reported PTI.

He was trapped on the third floor of the residential building in Mangaf in the Ahmadi Governorate where the fire broke out, reported PTI. The blaze, which started in the kitchen, erupted around 4 am on Wednesday while most of the 195 migrant workers were asleep, according to PTI.

"We received the shocking news around 11 am on Wednesday. He had jumped onto the water tank but couldn't move. Our relatives found him there and immediately took him to the hospital," Nalinakshan's uncle Balakrishnan told a news channel here, according to PTI.

However, Nalinakshan has also sustained injuries in his mouth, reported PTI. "We haven't been able to speak much with Nalinakshan because of the injuries. His surgery will be performed, and we are slightly relieved because he is being treated at a good hospital there," Balakrishnan added, according to PTI

"The impact caused a significant injury to my lower body, and I lost consciousness before reaching the hospital,” Nalinakshan told Manorama News.

The Kuwait fire tragedy has claimed the lives of 49 foreigner workers until now, reported PTI.

(with inputs from PTI and Onmanorama)