Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, visited Jaber Hospital in Kuwait on June 13, 2024, to meet an Indian national who was injured in a fire incident the previous day.

In the aftermath of the fire on Wednesday, Kuwaiti authorities assured India of their full support, including medical care, early repatriation of mortal remains, and investigation of the incident.

This was stated by Minister Singh on Thursday after meeting with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya in Kuwait City.

Mr.

Singh also met with Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah, who is also the Minister of Defence and Interior, and other senior Kuwaiti officials, conveying India's gratitude for their support.

He visited Mubarak Al Kabeer Hospital and other facilities where the injured Indians are receiving treatment.

According to Kuwaiti authorities, Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah announced that they have identified 48 bodies, including 45 Indians and three Filipinos, with efforts still underway to determine the identity of one remaining body.

At least 50 others were injured.

The Kuwaitis are conducting DNA tests on the bodies, and an Indian Air Force aircraft is on standby to fly back the mortal remains of the Indians.

Kuwait has also ordered the preparation of a military aircraft to help in repatriating the mortal remains of the Indians.

Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has issued a directive to provide financial assistance to the families of the deceased, though the exact amount to be distributed has not been announced yet.

Mr.

Singh, accompanied by Joint Secretary Aseem R.

Mahajan, reached Kuwait on Thursday, hours after a deadly fire engulfed a multistorey building housing 196 migrants in the Al Ahmadi governorate in southern Kuwait, highlighting the poor living conditions of Indian workers in the Gulf region.

In a conversation with External Affairs Minister S.

Jaishankar soon afterwards, the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister promised that the incident would be investigated and that responsibility would be fixed.

Mr.

Jaishankar emphasized the early repatriation of the mortal remains of those who lost their lives and that the injured were receiving the requisite medical attention.

The Embassy of India announced in a social media post that the Minister of State conveyed his appreciation for the cooperation being extended by all concerned authorities of Kuwait.

The Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reports that the Kuwaiti Minister assured that they are doing everything necessary to determine the circumstances and causes of the horrific incident and that justice will take its course with transparency and integrity.

Kuwait’s public prosecutor has launched an investigation into the incident, with some reports indicating that the fire was caused by a gas leak from the building’s ground floor.

The Kuwait Fire Department’s head of investigations, Colonel Sayed Al-Mousawi, said his team found that inflammable materials were used as partitions between apartments and rooms, which caused the black smoke.

Sheikh Fahad is heading an inspection campaign of illegal properties in many areas in Kuwait.

As of Thursday, the Municipality and its teams will respond to all violations at all apartment buildings without prior warning, the Deputy Prime Minister told reporters while inspecting the fire site.

The owner of the affected building will be kept in custody until investigations into the causes of the fire are over, he added.