Before leaving for Kuwait to oversee the 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rest of the situation will be clear the moment we reach there,\u201d Vardhan said.<\/p>\n
Speaking to ANI at the Delhi Airport before flying for Kuwait, the MoS said, \u201cWe 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…\u201dOn being asked about the plan of repatriation of the mortal remains of those who lost lives, he said, \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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- \nRead: Kuwait fire tragedy: PM Modi chairs meeting, offers support to families of deceased Indians<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cAn 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…\u201d the MoS said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Kuwait continues to contact local authorities to provide relief to those affected by the incident.<\/p>\n
The Embassy has established a helpline at +965-65505246 (WhatsApp and regular call) for family members to contact. The helpline provides regular updates.<\/p>\n
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 \u20b92 lakh from the Prime Minister Relief Fund to the families of deceased Indian nationals.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
According to the Prime Minister\u2019s Office official statement, \u201cThe meeting was chaired at his residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPrime Minister announced ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh to the families of deceased India nationals from the Prime Minister Relief Fund,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n
The Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, the Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirtivardhan Singh, the PM\u2019s Principal Secretary, Pramod Kumar Mishra, the National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, and other senior officials were also present at the meeting.<\/p>\n