The Tamil Nadu government has identified that five among the 40 Indians killed in the fire mishap in Kuwait hailed from the state, Minister of Minorities Welfare KS Mathan said on Thursday, June 13. 

“We have identified the bodies of the deceased as Rama Karuppan, Veerasamy Mariappan, Chinnathurai Krishnamurthi, Mohammad Sharif and Bhoonath Richard Roy, through Tamil associations in Mangaf. An official announcement is yet to be made,” he said. 

Offering his condolences to the victims’ families, Minister KS Masthan stated that Chief Minister MK Stalin has sought all possible measures to bring back the bodies of the deceased to the state. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had also written to External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, urging him to ensure that adequate relief measures are taken. 

One of the victims, Veerasamy Mariappan hails from Thoothukudi district, and was reportedly working at a private supermarket in Kuwait for the past 20 years. He is survived by his mother Veerammal, his wife Karpaga Lakshmi, daughter Nirmala and son Kathiravan. The victim’s village of Vanaramutti has been left shaken by the tragedy. 

The CM has also offered his condolences in a statement and put out helpline numbers to contact the state’s Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils. 

Helplines:

For callers from within India: +91 1800 309 3793

Abroad: +91 80 6900 9900, +91 80 6900 9901

On June 12, a fire broke out in a building belonging to the NBTC group in Kuwait’s Mangaf city, owned by Kerala businessman KG Abraham. At least 49 people, of whom at least 40 are Indian nationals, died in the accident. Kuwait’s Health Ministry had earlier said that 43 people were transferred to hospitals for treatment and four succumbed to injuries. The building reportedly housed around 195 workers mostly from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and a few employees of NBTC supermarket in the vicinity. The Non-resident Keralites Association (NoRKA-Roots) has also set up a help desk that can be contacted through toll free numbers that are to remain open 24x7.