The article appeared in the Statesman News Service in New Delhi on June 12th. As many as 40 Indian nationals died and dozens were injured when a major fire broke out in a building housing foreign workers in the city of Mangaf in southern Kinwalt early on Wednesday. Kuwaiti authorities said a total of 49 people died in the incident, while at least 40 were being treated in hospitals.
The majority of the deceased were Indian nationals working for the NBTC group, with ages ranging between twenty and fifty years. The building houses over 195 laborers, primarily Indians from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and North India,” a local media report said. The blaze was reported to the fire department at 4:30 a.m. and quickly controlled.
Most of the deaths were due to smoke inhalation while the residents were sleeping, and a significant number of occupants were evacuated, the reports said. The fire broke out in a kitchen on one of the lower floors of the six-story building in the Mangaf area of Kuwait’s southern Ahmadi Governorate. The building is rented by the NBTC group, reportedly owned by Malay-Ali businessman KG Abraham.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for an urgent meeting of senior officials to discuss the situation. Minister of State (MOS) for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, told reporters that he would leave for Kuwait soon after the meeting. In a post on microblog site X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “The fire mishap in Kuwait City is saddening. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and dear ones.
I pray that the injured recover as soon as possible. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait is closely monitoring the situation and working with the authorities there to assist the affected.” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said: “I was deeply shocked by the news of the fire incident in Kuwait City. There are reportedly over 40 deaths, and over 50 have been hospitalized.