Corps of 45 Indians and Air Force planes on standby

Kuwaiti authorities are carrying out DNA tests on the bodies of those killed.

Dubai/Kuwait City:

Kuwait said on Thursday that authorities had identified the bodies of 45 Indians and three Filipino nationals killed in the tragic fire at a building housing foreign workers, as the Gulf kingdom vowed to quickly investigate the incident and assured its full support for the repatriation of the bodies of the victims.

At least 49 foreign workers were killed and 50 others injured in a fire Wednesday at the seven-story building housing 196 migrant workers in the southern town of Mangaf.

Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousuf Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Minister of Defense, said authorities have identified 48 bodies, including 45 Indians and three Filipinos, the language daily reported English. reported the Arab Times.

Efforts are still underway to determine the identity of one of the remaining bodies, he added.

Kuwait firefighters said Thursday that the deadly fire was caused by an electrical short circuit. In a statement, the force said this conclusion was reached after a field examination of the scene and building where the fire broke out yesterday.

Kuwaiti authorities are carrying out DNA tests on the bodies of those killed in the devastating fire in southern Kuwait's Mangaf region, and an Indian Air Force plane is set to bring back the bodies of the Indians killed in the incident, officials in New Delhi said Thursday. .

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, who visited Kuwait to oversee assistance to Indians injured in the fire and ensure speedy repatriation of bodies of those killed, met the Foreign Minister of Kuwait, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, who assured him of his full support and pledged to quickly investigate the tragedy.

Later, he visited First Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad, who conveyed the Emir's condolences and instructions to ensure all necessary assistance and support.

Mr. Singh conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greetings to the Amir and thanked the Deputy Prime Minister and the leadership of Kuwait for the proactive facilitation provided by the Kuwaiti authorities, the Indian mission said.

He also met with the Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmad Abdelwahab Ahmad Al-Awadi, who briefed him on the measures taken to ensure a speedy recovery of the Indians under his supervision. Mr. Singh thanked him for the exceptional medical care and attention given to Indians.

Mr. Singh also visited Jaber Hospital, Mubarak Al Kabeer Hospital, Adan Hospital, Farwaniya Hospital and Jahra Hospital where he met injured Indians and assured them of all support from the Government of India .

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber al-Sabah issued directives for the distribution of financial aid to the families of the deceased, Sheikh Fahad said, without mentioning the amount of compensation. Furthermore, the Emir ordered the preparation of military aircraft to repatriate the bodies of deceased Indians to their home countries.

Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti citizen and several foreigners were arrested in connection with charges of manslaughter and injury caused by neglect of security and safety measures following the fire.

“The Public Prosecutor's Office has ordered the pre-trial detention of a Kuwaiti citizen and several expatriates in connection with charges of manslaughter and injury caused by negligence in security and safety measures, following a fire in the Al-Mangaf region,” the Arab Times reported. .

Sheikh Fahad is leading a comprehensive campaign to inspect illegal properties in many parts of Kuwait on Thursday.

The minister, accompanied by Minister of Public Works and Minister of Municipality Nora Al-Mashaan, began his inspection campaign in Al-Mangaf, Al-Mahboula, Khaitan and Jileeb Al-Shuyoukh, the newspaper said.

The Ministry of Interior, Kuwait Municipality, Kuwait Fire Brigade, Ministry of Electricity and Water, and Public Manpower Authority participated in the campaign.

The minister warned that any building violations would be dealt with without prior warning from Thursday.

“As of Thursday, the Municipality and its teams will respond to any infraction in all residential buildings without prior warning,” the minister told journalists during his inspection of the fire scene. The owner of the building concerned will be kept in detention until the end of the investigation into the causes of the fire, added the minister.

Meanwhile, Kuwait's prosecutor has opened an investigation into the incident. The investigation aims to discover the circumstances of the incident and what could have started the deadly fire, the public prosecutor said on X.

In a statement, the prosecutor's office said a special team examined the scene of the fire and visited the hospitals where the injured were taken to question the injured.

Kuwait Fire Service's head of investigations, Colonel Sayed Al-Mousawi, said earlier that the team investigating the causes of the fire found that an inflammable material had been used as a partition between apartments and between rooms, which caused huge black clouds of smoke.

He said many victims suffocated while trying to run down the stairs because they were filled with smoke, adding that the victims could not access the roof because the door was locked.

Separately, Kuwait Municipality announced that the Farwaniya Governorate Audit and Technical Monitoring Department closed seven basements and found 13 violations.

In an official statement, the municipality confirmed that efforts to close non-compliant basements were underway, the newspaper said.

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