Kuwait’s Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef, announced on Thursday that the country’s ruler, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, has ordered the preparation of aircraft to transport the bodies of Indian nationals who died in a recent fire back to their home country.
Al-Yousef stated in a press release today: “We have identified 48 bodies, 45 of which are of Indian nationality and three of Filipino nationality, and efforts are ongoing to identify the last body.” The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior reported on Wednesday that the death toll from a residential building fire in Al-Manqaf has risen to 49.
The fire broke out early yesterday morning in a workers’ residential building in Al-Manqaf, south of Kuwait City, and was managed by firefighting teams. The Kuwaiti Amir has directed officials to immediately investigate the causes of the fire in the residential building designated for expatriate workers and to hold those responsible accountable to prevent such tragic incidents in the future.
The fire, which originated on the stairs of the fourth floor of an eight-story building, was successfully controlled by firefighters who managed to rescue 50 individuals trapped on the seventh and eighth floors.
