Kochi. An extremely sad atmosphere was witnessed at Kochi International Airport this morning, when a special Indian Air Force plane landed carrying the dead bodies of 20 Indian nationals who lost their lives in the massive fire in ‘Mangaf’, Kuwait. The mortal remains were welcomed with full state honors on the tarmac of the airport itself. The current Chief Minister of Kerala ‘Pinarayi Vijayan’, Union Ministers and senior officials of the state bid farewell to the victims by offering floral wreaths. All the civilians who lost their lives were mainly residents of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and different parts of North India.

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C-130J Super Hercules aircraft of the Indian Air Force reached Kochi in the morning and after offloading 20 bodies, all the aircraft will leave for Delhi to airlift the mortal remains of other victims to their home states. A large fleet of ambulances was deployed at the airport. The state police has created a ‘green corridor’ so that the mortal remains can be safely transported to their native villages without any delay.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has clarified that all processes were completed expeditiously in coordination with Kuwaiti authorities, so that the families of the victims could perform the last rites as soon as possible.

This accident took place in a multi-storey residential building in ‘Mangaf’, Kuwait, where hundreds of foreign workers lived. In the initial investigation itself, short circuit and neglect of fire safety standards in the building have been cited as the main reasons for this huge loss of life. The Kuwait government has promised a strict investigation into the negligence of the building owner, while the Indian Embassy is continuously monitoring the health of other injured Indians admitted to hospitals in ‘Kuwait City’.

Report: Sushil Kumar Sah

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