Kochi, (14 June 2024) — The bodies of 45 Indian nationals who tragically lost their lives in a devastating fire at a multi-storey building in Mangaf, Kuwait, have arrived in Kerala. An Indian Air Force plane carrying the victims landed at Kochi airport on Friday morning at 10:30 am local time.

The fire, which occurred on Wednesday in a building predominantly housing migrant workers, claimed the lives of predominantly Indian nationals. The Embassy of Kuwait in Delhi has expressed deep sorrow and condolences to the families of the deceased, as reported by India Today.

The Government of India swiftly dispatched a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft of the Air Force to Kuwait to repatriate the bodies of the deceased Indians. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan personally arrived at Kochi airport to pay his respects to the victims as their bodies were received.

The majority of the deceased were from Kerala, with 23 victims hailing from the state. Tamil Nadu follows with seven casualties, while Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh each lost three individuals. Additionally, two victims were from Odisha, and one each from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Punjab, and Haryana.

The bodies are scheduled to be transported to Delhi later in the afternoon, where further arrangements will be made for their final journey home to their respective states.

This tragic incident has deeply saddened both the Indian and Kuwaiti communities, highlighting the challenges faced by migrant workers abroad.