CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: A day after a devastating fire in an apartment building in southern Kuwait’s Mangaf area killed 49 people, over 40 of them Indians, Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh left for the Middle Eastern state on Thursday.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Wednesday that over 40 people of the 49 were Indians, and the rest were Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian and Nepali nationals. “In an unfortunate and tragic fire incident earlier today in a Labour housing facility in the Mangaf area of Kuwait, around 40 Indians are understood to have died and over 50 injured,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement late on Wednesday night.
Singh said he hoped to get more details on arrival in Kuwait. “We had a meeting last evening with the Prime Minister, that is the last update we have about this very sad tragedy. The rest of the situation will be clear the moment we reach there,” Singh told ANI at Delhi airport.
There were challenges in repatriation of the remains of the deceased, considering that many bodies have been charred beyond recognition, Singh said. “The situation is that the victims are mostly burn victims and some of the bodies have been charred beyond recognition. So a DNA test is underway to identify the victims.”