Kochi: The mortal remains of the Kuwait fire victims began their journey home from the Cochin International Airport on Friday afternoon.
Among the 23 Malyalis taken home, the last rites of 12 -- Arun Babu, Sreejesh Thankappan Nair, MP Bahulayan, Binoy Thomas, P V Muraleedharan, Sumesh Pillai, Umarudheen Shameer, Viswas Krishnan, Nitin Koothur, Kuppante Purakkal Nooh, KR Ranjith and Kelu Ponmaleri -- were performed on Friday.
The ambulances carrying mortal remains of Thiruvananthapuram native Arun Babu and two Kannur natives were the first to depart. Police escort vehicles accompanied the ambulances to facilitate smooth traffic flow. Following a guard of honour, ambulances carried the deceased from Kerala and Tamil Nadu to their respective homes. Meanwhile, arrangements are underway to airlift the body of the Karnataka native. District authorities have been assigned the responsibility of receiving and transporting the remains.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and state ministers received the remains of 31 victims at Kochi. Members of the public paid their respects to the departed at the Nedumbassery Cargo Airport. Union Minister Suresh Gopi and Opposition Leader VD Satheesan also paid tribute to the deceased.
The Indian Air Force's C-130J transport aircraft, carrying the mortal remains of the 45 Indians lost in the Kuwait fire tragedy, touched down at Cochin International Airport by 10.25 am on Friday. Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, who coordinated with Kuwaiti authorities for the swift repatriation, was aboard the aircraft.
The tragic incident claimed the lives of at least 50 migrant workers, including 45 Indians, with 24 being Malayalis. Additionally, 49 individuals sustained injuries. Immigration, customs, and airport health office formalities for all 45 Indians were completed in Kochi. While the remains of 31 individuals—23 from Kerala, 7 from Tamil Nadu, and 1 from Karnataka—were handed over to authorities in Kochi, the remaining 14 bodies will be transported to Delhi on the same aircraft as a domestic flight after clearance.
According to a press release from the Indian embassy, the deceased hailed from Kerala (23), Tamil Nadu (7), Andhra Pradesh (3), Uttar Pradesh (3), Odisha (2), and Bihar, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Haryana (1 each). Denny Baby from Kollam's Karunagappally was not included in the list of Keralites, and his funeral will be held in Mumbai. Currently, 33 Indians are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Kuwait.
The fire at Al-Mangaf building in the Al-Ahmadi governorate was reported to authorities at 4:30 am on Wednesday. Most deaths were attributed to smoke inhalation, with reports indicating that the fire originated in a kitchen. The construction firm NBTC Group had rented the building to accommodate over 195 workers, predominantly Indians from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and northern states.
Kuwait fire victims (Kerala)
1. Arun Babu from Thiruvananthapuram
2. Nitin Koothur from Kannur
3. Thomas Oommen from Tiruvalla
4. Mathew Thomas from Alappuzha
5. Akash S Nair (23) from Pandalam, Pathanamthitta
6. KR Ranjith (34) from Chengala in Kasaragod
7. Saju Varghese (56) from Konni, Pathanamthitta
8. Kelu Ponmaleri (55) from Kasaragod
9. Stefin Abraham Sabu (29) from Kottayam's Pampady
10. MP Bahulayan from Malappuram
11. Kuppante Purakkal Nooh from Kootayi, Tirur, Malappuram
12. Lukose aka Sabu (48) from Kollam's Velichikala
13. Sajan George from Punalur, Kollam.
14. P V Muraleedharan from Vazhamuttom, Pathanamthitta
15. Viswas Krishnan from Dharmadom, Kannur
16. Umarudheen Shameer (33) from Kollam's Pooyappally
17. Srihari Pradeep from Changanassery, Kottayam
18. Binoy Thomas from Chavakkad in Thrissur
19. Sreejesh Thankappan Nair
20. Sumesh Pillai Sundaran
21. Aneesh Kumar Unnankandi
22. Sibin Thevaroth Abraham (31) from Keezhvaipur, Pathanamthitta
23. Shibu Verghese
Kuwait fire victims (Other States)
1. Veerachami Mariappan - Tamil Nadu
2. Chinnadurai Krishnamurthy - Tamil Nadu
3. Sivashankar Govind - Tamil Nadu
4. Raju Abameesan - Tamil Nadu
5. Karuppanna Ramu - Tamil Nadu
6. Bunaf Richard Roy Ananda Manoharan - Tamil Nadu
7. Muhammad Sharif - Tamil Nadu
8. Satyanarayana Molletti - Andhra
9. Eshwarudu Meesala - Andhra
10. Lokanatham Tamada - Andhra
11. Sheo Shankar Singh - Bihar
12. Mohammed Jahore - Odisha
13. Santosh Kumar Gowda - Odisha
14. Vijayakumar Prasanna - Karnataka
15. Denny Baby Karunakaran - Maharashtra
16. Dwarikesh Patta Naik - Bengal
17. Praveen Madhav Singh - Uttar Pradesh
18. Jairam Gupta - Uttar Pradesh
19. Angad Gupta - Uttar Pradesh
20. MD Ali Hussain - Jharkhand
21. Anil Giri - Haryana
22. Himat Rai - Punjab