The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Among Kuwait fire survivors, Kerala man who jumped from third floor
NALINAKSHAN T V had but a moment to make a decision. As flames raged in a Kuwait building, the 58-year-old hailing from Thrikkaripur in Kerala’s Kasaragod district jumped out of a third floor window into a water tank below.
Nalinakshan escaped with broken ribs and leg injuries. Not everyone was as lucky. Wednesday’s blaze in Mangaf city killed 49 people, 45 of them Indians. Among the Indian casualties were 24 people from Kerala.
Nalinakshan’s younger brother, Rajiv T V, told The Indian Express over the phone that the former has been working with NBTC for about 12 years and is currently Public Relations Officer with the company owned by Keralite businessman K G Abraham.
“I spoke to him in the evening (on Wednesday) and his wife had a video call with him today (Thursday) morning through the mobile phone of a hospital staff,” Rajiv said, adding that Nalinakshan was not fit enough to talk in detail and was scheduled to undergo a surgery for the rib fracture Thursday.
Explaining what happened Wednesday, Rajiv said it was their late father’s 8th death anniversary that day and Nalinakshan had updated his Whatsapp status a little past 6 am IST and also uploaded a video on Facebook.
“I messaged him soon after asking him to forward me the Facebook video but his internet seemed turned off,” said Rajiv. “We came to know about the fire tragedy only by about 10-11 and found that his phone was switched off.”
Rajiv said the family then contacted Nalinakshan’s friends in Kuwait who told them about his desperate escape. “He regained consciousness in the afternoon and then I could speak with him,” said Rajiv.
Nalinakshan is the third of six siblings. He has three sons, the eldest of whom is an ambulance driver.
Rajiv said his brother was in Kerala in March and had only returned to Kuwait in April.
Asked if anyone from the family was going to Kuwait to attend to him, Rajiv said he was told that the plan is to send Nalinakshan back to Kerala after the surgery.
The brother added that Nalinakshan was quite active on the social front and has many contacts in Kuwait who are helping him out in his hour of need.
The Kuwait job, he said, was the family’s sole source of support.