Kuwait Fire Tragedy: On June 14, a special IAF aircraft carrying the mortal remains of 45 Indian victims of the massive fire in Kuwait arrived at Kerala’s Cochin International Airport. The IAF had dispatched a C-130J transport aircraft to Kuwait on Thursday night to retrieve the bodies.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, who coordinated with Kuwaiti authorities for the swift repatriation of the bodies, was onboard the aircraft. From Kochi, the aircraft will proceed to Delhi, as some of the deceased hailed from northern and eastern Indian states, according to PTI.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, state BJP President K Surendran, Congress leader VD Satheesan, and Union Minister Suresh Gopi also arrived at Cochin International Airport.
Of the 45 Indians who perished in the fire, 23 were from Kerala, seven from Tamil Nadu, three each from Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, two from Odisha, and one each from Bihar, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Haryana, according to the embassy.
Union Minister Suresh Gopi, who was at the airport, described the tragedy as “voluminous and impactful.” He said, “It is a blow to the ‘pravaasi’ community, which has supported Kerala’s economy… The state and the country hold the ‘pravaasi’ community in high regard, and this is very painful. The individual loss affects every home implicated by this tragedy… India will respond appropriately, as we initiated action as soon as the news was received. The Government of India will take necessary actions and decisions and provide the needed support… Many Malayalis and Indians will help affected families… We have our contingent working to assist people in all health conditions.”
