A special aircraft carrying the mortal remains of two Odias killed in the devastating fire in Kuwait on June 12, landed here in Bhubaneswar airport on Saturday. The two were among the 45 Indians killed in the devastating fire in Kuwait.
Newly elected Odisha deputy CMs -KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida were present at the airport to receive and pay their last respects to the victims identified as Santosh Kumar Gouda from Ranajhali village under Purushotampur block in Ganjam district and Mohammad Jahur from Karadapalli village under Tigiria police limits in Cuttack.
Odisha CM Mohan Majhi is also scheduled to pay tribute to the deceased. The state government has arranged a special programme to pay tributes to the two Odia victims following which their mortal remains will later be carried to their respective homes.
A compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the family members of both the victims of Odisha of the Kuwait fire mishap has been announced by the state government.
According to sources, Jahur worked in Kuwait as a laboratory technician since 2017 while Santosh had been to the Gulf country just two years back.
“I express deep anguish over the untimely death of both Md Juhar and Santosh. Our CM Mohan Majhi has announced ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to the bereaved families. Cuttack MLA Bhartruhari Mahtab will receive the mortal remains of Md Juhar in his hometown. Similarly, Santosh’s mortal remains will be sent to his hometown and will be received by MLA Anita Subhadarshini and Minister Bibhuti Jena,” said KV Singh Deo.
Similarly, deputy CM Pravati said, “It is extremely saddening that we have lost two Odia sons in Kuwait. Our government has announced Rs 4L each for the two bereaved families. Both of them were very young and it’s heartbreaking for their families. This might cause fear among Odias residing in other countries. But, I want to convey that our government is always there and will be there for every Odia till our last breath.”
Worth mentioning that most of the deceased were from Kerala. The victims include 23 from Kerala, seven from Tamil Nadu, three each from Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, two from Odisha and one each from Bihar, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Haryana.
A massive fire erupted in a six-storey building in Kuwait’s Mangaf City on Wednesday, killing at least 49 people. The Kuwait embassy said that 176 Indian workers were in the housing facility, 45 of them died and 33 were hospitalized