IAF aircraft from Kuwait with mortal remains of 45 Indian victims; to land in Kochi early on June 14

An IAF aircraft carrying the mortal remains of 45 Indian victims who died in the fire incident in Kuwait is expected to land in Kochi at 11 a.m. on June 14.

An IAF aircraft carrying the mortal remains of 45 Indians who died in building fire in Kuwait is expected to land in Kochi at 11 a.m. on June 14.

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Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, who coordinated with Kuwaiti authorities regarding the repatriation, is onboard the aircraft.

In the aftermath of the Kuwait building fire that claimed at least 45 Indian lives, the Kuwaiti authorities have assured India of their “full support, including for medical care, early repatriation of mortal remains, and investigation of the incident”, Mr. Singh had said on Thursday, after a meeting with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya in Kuwait city.

Mr. Singh met Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah, who is also the Minister of Defence and Interior, and other senior Kuwaiti officials, and conveyed India’s gratitude for their support. He also visited Mubarak Al Kabeer hospital and other facilities where the injured Indians are undergoing treatment.

According to the Arab Times of Kuwait, Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah has announced that the authorities have identified 48 bodies, including 45 Indians and three Filipinos, adding that efforts are still underway to determine the identity of one remaining body. At least 50 others were injured.

Kuwait’s public prosecutor has launched an investigation into the incident, with some reports indicating that the fire was caused by a gas leak from the building’s ground floor. The Kuwait Fire Department’s head of investigations Colonel Sayed Al-Mousawi said his team had found that inflammable materials were used as partitions between apartments and also between rooms, which had caused the black smoke.