In the aftermath of a devastating fire in a Kuwaiti labor camp, the death toll among Keralites has risen to 19. Kerala’s government announced an ex gratia payment of ₹5 lakh to the families of the deceased and additional aid from businesspersons M.A. Yusuff Ali and Ravi Pillai, raising total compensation to ₹12 lakh.
Health Minister Veena George, along with the National Health Mission’s Jeevan Babu, will travel to Kuwait to oversee the repatriation of bodies and medical care for the injured. Coordination efforts will involve Kerala’s Special Officer in New Delhi, the Union Ministry of External Affairs, and the Indian Embassy in Kuwait, with support from the Keralite diaspora and Malayali associations in the Gulf.