The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Kuwait fire: Bodies flown back
leader V D Satheesan, and Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi were among those present when the plane landed. Union Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh accompanied the remains from Kuwait.
CM Vijayan paid floral tribute to the deceased, and the Kerala Police gave a guard of honour. Tamil Nadu Minister for Minority Welfare K S Masthan received the bodies of the victims from his state.
The bodies brought out at Kochi airport were subsequently taken to their homes by road, led by police pilot vehicles. The remains of the others – from Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Haryana – were flown to Delhi, from where they will be sent to their homes.
Around 49 people, including 46 Indians, had died in the fire at the building in Kuwait’s Mangaf area. The building was being used by the NBTC group to house its employees.
Vijayan said the incident was the biggest-ever tragedy faced by Kerala’s expatriate community.
“We hope the Kuwait government will ensure such tragedies do not get repeated, and give adequate compensation to the families of the victims. The Union government also should take steps in this regard,” he said.
Referring to the Centre’s denial of political clearance for state Health Minister Veena George, who wanted to travel to Kuwait on Thursday, Vijayan said: “There was a wrong approach from the Union government. We wanted to send a minister abroad, but when she came to the airport, she was denied clearance. On this occasion, I don’t want to make it an issue.”
Opposition leader V D Satheesan of the Congress also touched on the issue. “It was unfortunate that the minister was not given political clearance. The Union government should have facilitated her travel,” he said.
The 23 victims of the fire from Kerala included seasoned expats planning to return home for good, and young professionals just starting their careers.
K Nooh, 41, hailing from Malappuram’s Tirur coast, had been in Kuwait for 11 years. Every year, he would come home, saying that he was winding up his life abroad. But with many commitments yet to be fulfilled, he would always end up going back.
The last time he was in
Kerala was two months ago. “On Tuesday, he called his wife, Barhath. But his three daughters were at school so he couldn't speak to them. He promised to make a Whatsapp call on Wednesday morning, but fate did not allow it,” said Abdul Basheer, the family’s neighbour in Malappuram.
Also looking to wind up his stay in the Gulf was U K Aneesh Kumar, 56, from Kannur. Having worked in Kuwait for 25 years, he had returned to his hometown of Kuruva in April with the intention of staying back with his family for good. However, at the last moment, he changed his mind and decided on one more innings in Kuwait. He flew back to the country on May 16.
P M Muraleedharan, 61, who had been in Kuwait for the last 30 years, also returned home six months ago with the intention of staying back. However, in February, he went back to Kuwait as NBTC, where he was a supervisor, asked him to work for another year.
Among the victims were also younger professionals who had just started their overseas careers. From Kannur’s Dharmadam, Vishwas Krishnan, 35, had left for Kuwait only nine months ago. It was his first trip. For years, he had worked in Bengaluru as a draftsman, before deciding to move to the Gulf. He is survived by his wife Pooja and their three-year-old son.
Mathew Thomas, 53, and his nephew Shibu Varghese, 38, from Pandanad in Alappuzha, were also among the victims. Mathew had been in Kuwait for the last 30 years and Shibu for the last 10 years, both working at NBTC. Back home, Mathew’s eldest daughter Megha, a nursing graduate, had completed all formalities for a job in Kuwait to join her father.
Another victim, Stephin Abraham, 29, from Pambady in Kottayam, was looking to return and get married. He had been in Kuwait for the last five years, and six months ago, he was back home on leave to oversee the construction of a new house. He was slated to come again in October for the housewarming and to look for a bride.
The father of a three-yearold girl, Shibu Varghese, 38, also died in the fire. He used to video call home every night to see his wife and daughter. His wife, Rosy, who works as a nurse in Kottayam, was worried when he didn’t call on Wednesday night. On Thursday, she was resigned to the fact that her husband was dead.