THIRUVNANTHAPURAM: Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department (NORKA) has said that among the 49 killed in the massive fire in a six-storeyed building at Mangaf block in Kuwait's Ahmadi Governorate on Wednesday, 24 are Malayalees.
Efforts are on to bring the bodies back to Kerala. All steps are being taken in coordination with the assistance of authorities of the Government of Kuwait, NORKA secretary K Vasuki said at a press conference here on Thursday.
She said the bodies of the victims would be flown back to Kerala together. The central government has arranged a special aircraft for this purpose. DNA tests will be conducted on unidentified bodies and the results will take up to two weeks.
According to her, the treatment of the injured will continue in Kuwait. Of the injured six persons are currently in critical condition.
Efforts are being made under the aegis of NORKA in coordination with the expatriates to provide all possible assistance to the victims of the accident. The help desk and the Global Contact Centre are working round the clock.
The Kerala Government will extend full support to the interventions being made by the Central government in Kuwait.
Kerala government’s representative in Delhi K V Thomas, is in constant touch with the Ministry of External Affairs. Industries Minister P Rajeev said the state government would do everything possible including providing medical assistance to the injured.
Cabinet announces Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the victims
A special Cabinet meeting on Thursday decided to grant Rs 5 lakh each as ex gratia to the kin of Malayalees who died in the fire mishap in Kuwait.
The Cabinet decided to grant the injured financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh each. It was decided to send Health Minister Veena George to Kuwait to coordinate the treatment given to the injured in various hospitals. The minister along with National Health Mission director Jeevan Babu will coordinate with the Kuwaiti authorities to facilitate bringing back the bodies of the victims to Kerala.
Meanwhile, industrialists M. A. Yusuff Ali and Ravi Pillai have approached the chief minister expressing their willingness to provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh to the families of the persons who died in the humongous tragedy. The financial assistance will be routed through the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department (NORKA).
