An Indian Air Force jet returned the bodies of 45 workers killed in a fire in Kuwait.
On Wednesday, a fire broke out at a residential block in Mangaf city that housed 176 Indian labourers.
Kuwaiti authorities reported that 50 individuals were killed in the incident, including 45 Indians and three Filipinos. Two bodies have yet to be recognised.
On Thursday, an Indian minister came to Kuwait to supervise attempts to identify the victims and return them home.
Two-thirds of Kuwait's population consists of foreign workers, and the country is heavily reliant on migrant labour, particularly in the construction and domestic industries. The fire injured dozens of workers, most of them were Indian.
Indian Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh stated that DNA testing was being conducted to identify the victims.
The state administration has arranged for ambulances to bring the workers' bodies back to their homes for final rites.
The state and federal administrations have announced compensation to the relatives of individuals killed in the fire.
According to local press, an examination by officials discovered that the fire started due to an electrical short circuit in the security guard's room on the ground floor of the six-story structure.
Following the incident, the country's deputy prime minister, Sheikh Fahad Yusuf al-Sabah, accused property owners of greed and stated that violations of building rules had caused the disaster.
Kuwait fire: Bodies of 45 indian workers perished in Kuwait building fire, back to their home country
