Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government will provide Rs 5 lakh financial assistance to the families that claimed 49 lives and left 50 others injured. The decision was taken at an emergency Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the morning, a statement issued by his office said. Likewise, the Modi government announced Rs 2 lakh as compensation to the families of all Indians who died in the Kuwait fire tragedy.
The cabinet also decided to provide Rs one lakh financial assistance to those injured in the incident, it said.
The statement also said prominent businessmen M A Yusuff Ali and Ravi Pillai have informed the CM that they will provide Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively, to each of the families of the Keralites who died in the fire.
Death toll of Keralites goes up to 24 from 19
The Kerala government also announced that the death toll of Keralites has gone up to 24 from 19 in the fire that broke out in a labour camp in Kuwait. Out of the total 49 foreign workers killed, some 42 victims were confirmed to be Indian nationals, mostly from Kerala.
Norka senior official, K Ajith on Thursday told the media that apart from the 24 dead, seven are in a serious condition. “We got this information from our help desk in Kuwait. The death toll confirmation comes out after all identification has been completed. There are still a few bodies which have not been identified and DNA tests will be conducted to establish their identity,” said Ajith.
He added that the official announcement would come from the Indian Embassy in Kuwait. “Kerala Health Minister Veena George and senior bureaucrat Jeevan Babu will reach Kuwait later in the day. They will be coordinating for the speedy transportation of the bodies to Kerala,” added Ajith.
The fire broke out in the wee hours of Wednesday at a labour camp and devastated a building in Kuwait’s southern city of Al-Mangaf. According to reports there were 197 workers living in the building spread over six floors and majority of them were Keralites.
Meanwhile, apart from the Rs 5 lakh compensation announced for the next of kin of the deceased by the Kerala government, business magnates MA Yusuf Ali and Ravi Pillai will be giving aid to the families also. While MA Yusuf Ali will give Rs 5 lakh each, Ravi Pillai has announced he will be giving Rs 2 lakh each and this will be directed through the Norka department.
Bodies identified
“son was a teacher at an engineering college here and it was only last month that he went to Kuwait. He got his salary on the 5th of this month and it was transferred the same day to us. We spoke to him on Tuesday night also,” said a grieving father, George Pothen at Pathanamthitta.
“When the news of the fire came on TV, I knew it was the same company where my brother worked. We tried to believe that my brother would be safe, but it was not. We got the news that he passed away when his name was flashed on the TV channels. We are yet to tell the news to our aged mother,” grieved a woman.
Stephin Abraham, 29, who lived in Pampady in Kottayam, was an engineer and had been working in Kuwait for the past six years. “He was my tenant for a few years and was building his own home. He was here six months back to see the progress of his house,” said the landlord.
The company is owned by K.G. Abraham, a Keralite who has varied business interests in the Middle East and also owns a five-star hotel in Kochi.
The fire broke out in the building around 4.30 a.m. on Wednesday. According to sources in Kuwait, the toll could have been higher. Around 18 employees, who resided in the ill-fated building, had left the building around 4 a.m. to take up their morning duties.
(With inputs from agencies)
