MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh embarks for Kuwait following fire tragedy

New Delhi: Before leaving for Kuwait to oversee assistance of Indians injured in the devastating fire and to ensure the repatriation of the mortal remains of those killed, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh said that some of the bodies have been charred beyond recognition.

"The rest of the situation will be clear the moment we reach there," Vardhan said.

Speaking to ANI at the Delhi Airport before flying for Kuwait, the MoS said, "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..."

On being asked about the plan of repatriation of the mortal remains of those who lost lives, he said, "The situation is that 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 said.

"The latest figures that we had last night, the casualty figures are around 48-49 out of this 42 or 43 are believed to be Indians," he added.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Kuwait continues to remain in touch with local authorities to provide relief to those affected in the incident.

The Embassy has established a helpline 965-65505246 (WhatsApp and regular call) for family members to get in touch. Regular updates are being provided through the helpline.

Earlier, soon after the news of the fire incident in Kuwait broke out, 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 his deep sorrow at the unfortunate incident and extended condolences to the families of the deceased.

He further wished for the speedy recovery of those injured and assured all possible assistance from the Indian government.

According to the Prime Minister's Office official statement, "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 India nationals from the Prime Minister Relief Fund," the statement added.

The Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, the Minister of State for External Affairs Kirtivardhan Singh, the PM's Principal Secretary, Pramod Kumar Mishra, the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and other senior officials were also present in the meeting.

(ANI)