Air Force plane on standby, 13 Malayali victims identified, Kuwait fire, Malayali deaths, Narendra Modi, Kerala Kuwait victims, deaths, fire accident, latest news

Kuwait: The identities of the 13 Malayali victims who tragically perished in a fire at a work center in Kuwait have been confirmed. In total, 49 people died in the accident. The government officially confirmed the deaths of 43 people. Among them, 28 people were identified. Among the 50 injured, around 30 are Malayalis.

The deceased were identified as Shameer Umaruddin (30) of Kollam Sooranad village, K Ranjith (34) of Chengala in Kasaragod, Kelu Ponmaleri (58) of Pilicode in Kasaragod, Stephin Abraham Sabu (29) of Pampady in Kottayam, Akash Sasidharan Nair. (31) from Pathanamthitta, Sajan George (29) from Punalur Narikal, Saju Varghese (56) from Konni in Pathanamthitta, PV Muralidharan (68) from Vallicode Vazhamuttom, Lukose (Sabu-48) from Velichikkala in Kollam, Thomas Oommen (37) from Thiruvalla, Vishwas Krishnan, a native of Kannur Dharmadom, Nooha (40), a native of Malappuram Tirur, and MP Bahuleyan (36) of Pulamanthole.

According to reports, 146 people managed to escape the fire safely out of the building's 195 residents. Of the 49 people hospitalized, 11 were released from the hospital after being treated for minor injuries. According to the report, 19 people were working in different companies at the time of the incident.

Union Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said some bodies were charred beyond recognition. “An air force plane is on standby. As soon as the bodies are identified, the next of kin will be informed and our air force plane will bring the bodies back,” the health ministry said.

The embassy has set up a helpline +965-65505246 (WhatsApp and regular call) for family members to get in touch. Regular updates are provided via the helpline. Earlier, soon after news of the Kuwait fire broke out, PM Modi chaired a review meeting and announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund to the families of deceased Indian nationals .

(With contributions from ANI)