Kuwait fire accident: victims’ home towns struggle to accept reality

Tragic fire in Kuwait claims lives of Keralites, leaving families in Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts in mourning.

The fire accident in Kuwait in which several Keralites lost their lives has left the central Travancore districts of Kottayam and Pathanamthitta in deep mourning. Eight persons, including five from Pathanamthitta, perished in the incident. The victims have been identified as Stephin Abraham Sabu, 29, from Pampady; Shibu Varghese, 38, from Payippad; Sreehari Pradeep, 27, from Ithithanam; Akash S. Nair, 31, from Pandalam; Sibin T. Abraham, 31, from Keezhvayppur; Thomas Oommen, 37, from Thiruvalla; P.V. Muraleedharan, 68, from Vallikodu; and Saju Varghese, 56, from Konni. The tragedy has left their home towns numb, with families and communities struggling to come to terms with the grief.

At Akash S. Nair’s residence in Mudiyoorkkonam, Pandalam, his mother Shobana Kumari and sister Shari are enduring a painful wait. Despite his company confirming his death, Akash’s body is yet to be located and identified. “We are still waiting for confirmation. His body isn’t among those at the hospital. We’ve made local contacts through a friend of Akash, and a search is ongoing,” explained Saumya Santosh, the local councillor and Akash’s former teacher.

Akash had been working in Kuwait as a construction worker for eight years. His family had moved to Pandalam from Delhi after his father’s death. “Akash was just six when his father passed away. His mother raised him and his sibling alone. She was planning his wedding during his next vacation in August,” Ms. Santosh added.

At Stephin Abraham Sabu’s house, his parents Sabu Abraham and Sherly Sabu are surrounded by a steady stream of relatives and neighbours. The news of his death has brought an outpouring of support to their rented house.

Stephin, an alumnus of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology (RIT) in Pampady, was employed as an engineer with the NBTC Group in Kuwait. Relatives said Stephin had planned to return home in two months for his house-warming ceremony. “Stephin’s house was almost completed, and the family was looking for a bride for him. It’s heartbreaking that he is no longer with us,” said Sherly Tharian, a local panchayat member.

Reports indicate that Stephin was on the fifth floor when the fire started on the first floor, leading to his death from smoke inhalation. His younger brother Febin also works at the same company in Kuwait, while his youngest brother Kevin is pursuing a PhD in Israel.

Ithithanam, a village near Changanassery, is reeling from the loss of Sreehari Pradeep. A mechanical engineer, Sreehari had secured a job in Kuwait just in the first week of June. “It was his father, Pradeep, who also works in Kuwait, who informed the family about Sreehari’s death,” said a relative. Sreehari had gone missing in the accident, and his father identified his body at a hospital by means of a tattoo on his hand.