India’s newly re-elected Prime Minister described the incident, which has killed at least 49 people, as a “saddening mishap” and has allocated 200,000 Rupees for a victim relief grant
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the Deputy Amir, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani, have sent cables of condolences to Kuwait’s leader, following an apartment building blaze in country’s Mangaf area on Wednesday.
The Wednesday fire killed at least 49 people and injured another 50. Migrant workers from India formed the majority of the fire’s casualties, with reports indicating that 42 of the deceased were of Indian origin.
Kuwaiti officials, including Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al Yahya and Health Minister Ahmed Abdul Wahab Al Awadi, visited the injured victims at Al Adan Hospital.
Yahya also expressed his condolences to his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and assured him that the Kuwaiti authorities were “harnessing all their capabilities” to care for the injured.
Fire fuelled by ‘greed’
Kuwait’s Amir Mishal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah has ordered the relevant officials to hold those responsible for the fire accountable.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident and are holding the owner of the building in custody.
While visiting the charred site, Sheikh Fahad Yousef Al Sabah, who is also Kuwait’s interior and defence minister, blamed the incident on the “greed” of real estate owners.
This incident also triggered the suspension of municipal officials at the Al Ahmadi Municipality, where the blaze happened.
India responds
India’s recently re-elected Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, said that the embassy in Kuwait was closely working with the relevant authorities to assist those in need in the aftermath of what he described as a “saddening mishap”.
Modi has also allocated a grant of 200,000 Indian Rupees ($2400) from the Prime Ministerial Relief Fund to assist the families affected.
Kirti Vardhan Singh, India’s minister of environment, arrived in Kuwait on Thursday and visited injured nationals being treated at the Juber Hospital. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait added that his visit is to expedite the repatriation of the deceased to India.
In the immediate wake of the blaze, the Indian Ambassador to Kuwait, Adarsh Swaika, also visited the injured in the relevant hospitals.
He has also visited the burn site during an inspection with Kuwaiti officials.
