Kuwait fire: Three from Kollam in Kerala among those killed

Kuwait building fire tragedy leaves three Kollam families heartbroken as loved ones perish, leaving behind grieving families in Kerala

The Kuwait building fire that claimed several lives have left three families in Kollam district of Kerala heartbroken and their loved ones are yet to come to terms with the tragedy.

Kollam residents who were killed in the fire are Sajan George (29), Shameer Umarudheen (33) and Lukose (48).

Sajan, a resident of Sajan Villa Puthan Veedu, Punalur, had left for Kuwait around one-and-a-half months ago and it was his first job abroad. Earlier, the MTech graduate was working as an assistant professor in a college at Adoor. After joining the company in Kuwait as a junior engineer, he had sent his first salary to his parents a few days back.

According to his family, he had called them a couple of times the day before the fire broke out and his parents came to know about his death through the media. Sajan has left behind his father George, mother Valsamma and sister Ancy.

Shameer, a 33-year-old native of Sooranad North, had been working as a driver in Kuwait for the past five years. He had visited his family nine months ago and it a friend of his, who also hails from Sooranad North, who informed the family about the accident. While the friend and some others jumped off the building and survived with injuries, Shameer was trapped inside.

According to his friends, Shameer had wanted to return to his village as soon as he saved some money. He is survived by his wife Surumi, father Umarudheen and mother Sabeena.

Lukose, a resident of Velichikkala, was planning to return to India when the tragedy struck. He had been working in Kuwait for the last 18 years and the family started panicking when they could not contact him. Later, it was his friends who confirmed the death.