Kerala Health Minister Veena George has claimed that she was denied permission by the central government to visit Kuwait, where she intended to coordinate relief efforts for Keralites affected by a tragic fire incident. “What we just sought from the central government was the permission to travel to Kuwait to stand with our people affected by the tragedy and coordinate activities there. That permission is denied,” George told reporters on Thursday night.
The state government decided to send George to Kuwait to help with relief efforts, including treating the injured and bringing back the deceased. George reportedly waited for hours at the airport, hoping for permission from the Ministry of External Affairs.
At least 49 people, around 40 of them Indians, were killed after a fire broke out in an apartment building near Kuwait City on Wednesday. The incident took place in the Mangaf area, south of Kuwait City, which has a large population of migrant workers.
About 200 workers were living in the six-storey building where the fire occurred, according to local media reports.
Kuwait Times quoted Major General Eid Al-Owaihan, head of the interior ministry’s General Department of Criminal Evidence, as saying, “Unfortunately, we received a report of a fire at exactly 6. 00 am (0300 GMT) in the Mangaf area.”
Reacting to the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a post on X wrote, “The fire mishap in Kuwait City is saddening. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait is closely monitoring the situation and working with the authorities there to assist the affected.”