Indian authorities on Thursday intensified efforts to provide medical care to nationals injured in a devastating fire in Kuwait and to identify those who died in the incident. Preparations were underway to repatriate the bodies of the deceased using an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, traveled to Kuwait to oversee relief measures and facilitate the expeditious repatriation of bodies. Singh visited several hospitals to meet the injured and held meetings with Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah and Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya to assess the situation.
The fire, which occurred on Wednesday at a building in Mangaf, southern Kuwait, claimed the lives of 49 people, including 42 Indian nationals, and injured another 56. Most of the victims were from Kerala. Kuwait hosts an Indian expatriate community of nearly one million.
“The situation is that most of the victims are burn victims, and some of the bodies have been charred beyond recognition,” Singh told reporters before departing New Delhi early on Thursday. DNA tests are being conducted to identify the bodies, and an IAF aircraft is on standby to bring them back, he said.
During his meeting with Al-Sabah, Singh was informed that the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, had issued instructions to ensure that all necessary assistance and support are provided to those affected by the fire. Singh expressed gratitude for the proactive facilitation by Kuwaiti authorities, according to a post on X by the Indian embassy.
Foreign Minister Al-Yahya offered his condolences and assured Singh of Kuwait’s full support, including medical care, early repatriation of bodies, and a thorough investigation into the incident. He stated that Kuwait is harnessing all necessary capabilities to meet the medical needs of the injured and to ascertain the circumstances and causes of the fire, promising that justice will be served with transparency and integrity.
Singh praised the Kuwaiti government’s rapid response and the medical care provided to the injured. He visited Adan Hospital, where 12 Indians are being treated, Mubarak Al Kabeer Hospital, where seven Indians are receiving care, and Jaber Hospital, which is treating six injured Indians. Singh enquired about their well-being and assured them of the Indian government’s full support.