Kuwait: A day after the massive fire in a building that killed over 40 Indians including 28 Malayalis here, the NBTC Group, the owner of the building announced an ex-gratia of Rs 8 lakh each to the families of the deceased as an emergency aid. Apart from the financial aid, the company has decided to give employment to the dependants of the victims and other allowances. NBTC Group took action for emergency aid after Kuwait Emir issued an order asking to immediately provide aid to the bereaved families. Kuwait Home Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousuf Al-Sabah told the media regarding this.
Meanwhile, 22 of the 24 Malayalis killed in the fire mishap were identified. Thiruvananthapuram Nedumangad native Arun Babu's body was identified on Thursday. Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department (NORKA) CEO Ajith Kolassery said that procedures would be completed swiftly to take the mortal remains of the Malayalis to their places.
The Kerala government will provide Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased and 1 lakh each to the injured. As per reports, Health Minister Veena George will leave for Kuwait on Thursday to oversee the situation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country is "doing everything possible to assist those affected by this gruesome fire tragedy", in a post on X late on Wednesday. Next of kin will receive payments of 200,000 rupees ($2,400), Modi's office announced.
Death toll touches 50
Kuwait's foreign minister confirmed that most of the victims in the deadly blaze were from India and the death toll touched 50. Three Filipinos were among the dead, Philippines officials said, after the fire sent black smoke billowing through the six-storey building south of Kuwait City.
Most of oil-rich Kuwait's four million-plus population is made up of foreigners, many of them from South and Southeast Asia working in construction and service industries. Dozens more were injured in the fire in Mangaf, south of Kuwait City, which broke out around dawn on Wednesday at the ground level of the block housing nearly 200 workers.
"One of the injured died" overnight, Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya told reporters after 49 people were declared dead on Wednesday.
(With AFP inputs)