Before departing for Kuwait to oversee assistance for Indians injured in a devastating fire and to ensure the repatriation of the mortal remains of those killed, Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, mentioned that some bodies had been charred beyond recognition.
“The rest of the situation will be clear the moment we reach there,” Vardhan said.
Speaking to ANI at Delhi Airport before flying to Kuwait, the MoS remarked, “We had a meeting last evening with the Prime Minister, that is the last update we have about this very sad tragedy… The rest of the situation will be clear the moment we reach there…”
When asked about the plan for repatriating the mortal remains of those who lost their lives, he explained, “The victims are mostly burn victims, and some of the bodies have been charred beyond recognition. So a DNA test is underway to identify the victims.”
“An Air Force plane is on standby. As soon as the bodies are identified, the kin will be informed, and our Air Force plane will bring the bodies back,” the MoS stated.
“The latest figures that we had last night, the casualty figures are around 48-49 out of which 42 or 43 are believed to be Indians,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Kuwait remains in contact with local authorities to provide relief to those affected by the incident. The Embassy has set up a helpline at +965-65505246 (WhatsApp and regular call) for family members to get in touch and is providing regular updates.
Earlier, soon after the fire incident in Kuwait was reported, Prime Minister Modi chaired a review meeting and announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister Relief Fund to the families of deceased Indian nationals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow over the unfortunate incident, extended condolences to the families of the deceased, wished for the speedy recovery of those injured, and assured all possible assistance from the Indian government.
According to an official statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, “The meeting was chaired at his residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi.”
“Prime Minister announced ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh to the families of deceased Indian nationals from the Prime Minister Relief Fund,” the statement added.
The meeting was attended by Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, the PM’s Principal Secretary Pramod Kumar Mishra, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, and other senior officials.