According to the Kuwaiti Fire Service, an electrical short circuit caused an unforeseen tragedy on a Wednesday evening in a building situated in Mangaf city, Kuwait. The tragic accident resulted in 49 deaths, out which 45 individuals were of Indian origin. The devastating incident has affected a majority of 195 people who had been residing in the building that caught fire, most of whom were Indians.
According to the reports, the fire is said to have started in a kitchen. About 92 individuals were able to escape the building before severe damage, however, those who could not be saved by the firefighters, jumped from the building’s fifth floor and died instantly. Some even died due to excessive inhalation of smoke. The victims’ friends, family, and other loved ones are still grieving and were taken aback upon learning of this tragedy.
Many of those who departed India in search of better employment opportunities have been working in Kuwait for many years in different kinds of professional fields. Amongst the occupations are, just to name a few, accountant, businessman, construction worker, and mechanical engineer. Of the forty-five persons who lost their lives in the fire, 23 were from Kerala, 7 from Tamil Nadu, 3 from Andhra Pradesh, 3 from Uttar Pradesh, 2 from Odisha, and one each from the states of Bihar, Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Karnataka. On the platform X, Prime Minister Modi expressed his condolences for the victims’ families. When the External Affairs Ministry’s Minister of State (Mos) Kirti Vardan Singh travelled to Kuwait, he met the wounded victims. The Indian Ambassador to Kuwait visited the spot and spoke with the injured individuals during his visit. The building owner, who also hails from Kerala, was ordered to be arrested by the deputy prime minister of Kuwait for failing to maintain the building’s safety regulations.
The Mortal remains of the victims were sent to Kerala’s Kochi airport on Friday morning and it was received by the Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister Suresh Gopi who performed their last rites. The mortal remains of people from Tamil Nadu will be sent to their respective hometowns and the remaining mortals will be transported to New Delhi and then to their respective hometowns.
The list of people who died in the fire incident is as follows :
1. Mathew Thomas from Alappuzha
2. Arun Babu from Thiruvananthapuram
3. Nitin Koothur from Kannur
4. Thomas Oommen from Tiruvalla
5. Akash S Nair (23) from Pandalam, Pathanamthitta.
6. KR Ranjith (34) from Chengala in Kasaragod. He was a storekeeper. Ranjith had been in Kuwait for the past 10 years
7. Saju Varghese (56) from Konni, Pathanamthitta
8. Kelu Ponmaleri (55) from Kasaragod. He was a production engineer. He is survived by his wife K N Mani, an employee at the Pilicode panchayat office, and two sons
9. Stephin Abraham Sabu (29) from Kottayam’s Pampady. He was an engineer
10. MP Bahulayan from Malappuram
11. Kuppante Purakkal Nooh from Kootayi, Tirur, Malappuram
12. Lukose aka Sabu (48) from Kollam’s Velichikala. Was working in Kuwait for the past 18 years
13. Sajan George from Punalur, Kollam. He was a chemical engineer
14. P V Muraleedharan from Vazhamuttom, Pathanamthitta. Worked in Kuwait for the past 30 years. He was the senior supervisor in the fabrication division
15. Viswas Krishnan from Dharmadom, Kannur
16. Umarudheen Shameer (33) from Kollam’s Pooyappally. He was a driver in Kuwait
17. Srihari Pradeep from Changanassery, Kottayam
18. Binoy Thomas from Chavakkad in Thrissur
19. Sreejesh Thankappan Nair from Kerala
20. Sumesh Pillai Sundaran from Kerala
21. Aneesh Kumar Unnankandi from Kerala
22. Sibin Thevaroth Abraham (31) from Keezhvaipur, Pathanamthitta
23. Shibu Verghese from Kerala
24. Veerachami Mariappan – Tamil Nadu
25. Chinnadurai Krishnamurthy – Tamil Nadu
26. Sivashankar Govind – Tamil Nadu
27. Raju Abameesan – Tamil Nadu
28. Karuppanna Ramu – Tamil Nadu
29. Bunaf Richard Roy Ananda Manoharan – Tamil Nadu
30. Muhammad Sharif – Tamil Nadu
31. Satyanarayana Molletti – Andhra Pradesh
32. Eshwarudu Meesala – Andhra Pradesh
33. Lokanatham Tamada – Andhra Pradesh
34. Sheo Shankar Singh – Bihar
35. Mohammed Jahore – Odisha
36. Santosh Kumar Gowda – Odisha
37. Vijayakumar Prasanna – Karnataka
38. Denny Baby Karunakaran – Maharashtra
39. Dwarikesh Patta Naik – West Bengal
40. Praveen Madhav Singh – Uttar Pradesh
41. Jairam Gupta – Uttar Pradesh
42. Angad Gupta – Uttar Pradesh
43. MD Ali Hussain – Jharkhand
44. Anil Giri – Haryana
45. Himat Rai – Punjab.
Here are a few personal Insights about the victims from Kerala:
1.Binoy Thomas from Chavakkad in Thrissur
He had moved from Tiruvalla to settle in Thekkan Palayoor, Chavakkad, and was one of those killed in the fire accident in Kuwait. A friend identified him and Norka Roots officials confirmed his death on Thursday. A father of two, Binoy had flown into Kuwait from Kochi four days ago, on a visit visa, to land a job. It was his dream of building a house and providing for his family that prompted the 44-year-old to make the decision of travelling to Kuwait. In Chavakkad, the family lives in a makeshift home with a tarpaulin roof. Binoy is survived by his two children. When his wife learned about the fire, she tried to communicate with him but couldn’t reach out. Binoy had shared the details of his stay with his family. She contacted the chairman of the Kerala Pravasi Welfare Board. They contacted Norka Roots authorities and other officials
2.Sreejesh Thankappan Nair from Kottayam, Kerala
Sreehari is a mechanical engineer who recently secured employment in Kuwait. His father, Pradeep, who also works in Kuwait, broke the devastating news to the family.
3. Shibu Varghese from Kottayam, Kerala
A member of the Palathinkal family in Paipad had been working as an accountant at NBTC for over a decade. His brother, Shiju Varghese, who also resides in Kuwait, conveyed the heartbreaking news to the family. Shibu had recently visited home for a vacation. He is survived by his wife Rosy Thomas and three-year-old son, Aiden Varghese.
4.Thomas Oommen from Tiruvalla, Kerala
He is also known as Joby, Thomas’s father’s name is Oommen Chacko, Thomas’s mother’s name is Rani and his wife’s name is Jinu. Jobi, who has been working in Kuwait for six years, returned home six months ago.
5. Akash S Nair (23) from Pandalam, Pathanamthitta.
Akash had been working in Kuwait as a construction worker for eight years. His family had moved to Pandalam from Delhi after his father’s death. Akash was just six when his father passed away. His mother raised him and his sibling alone. She was planning his wedding during his next vacation in August. His Mother’s name is Shobana Kumari and His Sister’s name is Shari.
6. Stephin Abraham Sabu (29) from Kottayam’s Pampady, Kerala
Stephin, an alumnus of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology (RIT) in Pampady, was employed as an engineer with the NBTC Group in Kuwait. Relatives said Stephin had planned to return home in two months for his housewarming ceremony. Stephin’s house was almost completed, and the family was looking for a bride for him.
