Kollam Family Awaits Official News on Breadwinner's Fate After Kuwait Fire Tragedy

A family in Kerala's Kollam district is anxiously awaiting official confirmation regarding the tragic news about Shameer, their sole breadwinner, who is feared to have died in a devastating fire in Kuwait. Local leaders and the Kerala Chief Minister have sought urgent updates from national authorities.

A family in Kerala's Kollam district is fervently praying that the unofficial news about the tragedy that has befallen Shameer, their sole breadwinner, in a Kuwait fire incident is not true.

Shameer, from Vayyankara village, had been working in Kuwait for a few years. At around 11.30 am, his family received word from a friend about his reported tragic death in the fire.

"So far, there has been no official communication, either from the company or the embassy. We learned about the incident through the family of a colleague who was injured in the fire," a family member informed reporters.

Local political leaders have intervened following the incident, contacting authorities in New Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram to seek more information and a clear update on Shameer's status.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, requesting the Centre's intervention in the Kuwait fire incident, which claimed over 40 lives, including several Malayalees.

In a brief message, he stated that among the 40 reported casualties, some were believed to be Malayalees.

Over 40 people, primarily Indians, were killed in a catastrophic fire in a building housing labourers in southern Kuwait, central government officials said on Wednesday.

The fire in the Al-Mangaf building was reported to authorities in Al-Ahmadi governorate at 4.30 am, and most deaths were caused by smoke inhalation, as reported by Kuwaiti media.

Kuwaiti media revealed that construction firm NBTC group rented the building for over 195 workers, mostly Indians from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and northern states.