NEW DELHI: Nine people, including three Indians, were arrested in connection with the tragic fire that claimed the lives of 50 individuals, including 46 Indians, in the Ahmadi Governorate of Kuwait. Four Egyptians, and one Kuwaiti national were also among those arrested.
"The Public Prosecution has ordered the detention of a Kuwaiti national, three Indian nationals, and four Egyptian nationals for two weeks in connection with the Al-Mangaf building fire case," PTI quoted Arab Times report.
The identities of the defendants have not been disclosed. The charges leveled against the defendants include manslaughter and negligence, as mentioned in the report.
The blaze, which occurred on July 12 in a six-storey building in Mangaf, was attributed to an electrical short circuit originating in the guard's room on the ground floor. The building housed 196 migrant workers, predominantly from India.
Government sources, cited by the report, indicated that the compensation payments will be processed and delivered to the respective embassies of the victims.
As per the directives of Kuwait's Emir, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the families of the victims will receive compensation amounting to $15,000 each (approximately Rs 12.5 lakh), as reported by the newspaper.
The public prosecutor of Kuwait has initiated an investigation into the incident, with the objective of uncovering the circumstances surrounding the fire and determining the potential triggers that led to the deadly outcome. The public prosecutor made this announcement on the social media platform X.