NBTC expresses condolences to Mangaf fire victims’ families

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KUWAIT CITY, June 20: Nasser Mohammed Al-Baddah and Partner General Trading and Contracting Company (NBTC) has expressed condolences to the families of its 49 employees who died in the Mangaf building fire. In a press statement, the company said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic fire incident that occurred in one of our employees’ residences in Mangaf which, unfortunately, led to the death of 49 employees. We offer sincere condolences to the families of the deceased employees.

“Out of the 49 employees who perished in the tragic fire incident; 45 were from India, three from the Philippines and one whose nationality has yet to be determined. The Forensics Department is working hard to identify the deceased. “Among the 45 Indians; 24 were from Kerala, seven from Tamil Nadu, three each from Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, two each from Bihar and Odisha, and one each from Jharkhand, Karnataka, Punjab and West Bengal. Results of the preliminary investigations revealed that the cause of the fire was electrical short circuit.

Accident
“The residential building consists of six floors, 24 apartments and a total of 72 rooms housing 196 employees at the time of the accident. So far, 130 employees are in safe condition, including about 40 injured who were discharged from different hospitals. They are currently housed in fully furnished apartments with a resident assistant to serve them. A total of 17 injured employees were admitted to Adan, Mubarak Al-Kabeer and Jaber Al-Ahmad hospitals. All of them are in stable condition and undergoing the necessary treatment until they recover.

“The concerned department is distributing the equivalent of $10,000 to each of the families of the deceased employees from India as initial financial assistance; and similarly to the families of deceased employees from the Philippines. In addition, a total of INR 25,000 has been distributed to cover funeral expenses. The department will also disburse the deceased employees’ salary, other entitlements, compensation and life insurance (48 times their basic salary) for family members upon receiving the certificates of legal heirs. It also provided all forms of medical assistance to the survivors and an amount equivalent to $2,500 for the injured employees.

It paid KD50 to each of the employees housed in the building; in addition to basic necessities like clothing and toiletries. Psychological counseling sessions were conducted for all survivors by a psychological expert. “We are also in the process of submitting visa applications to bring in the first-degree relatives of seriously injured employees. We intend to bring their family members to the State of Kuwait to provide them with the required psychological support. “Moreover, we have provided airline tickets to relatives who wish to go to India to attend the funeral of the deceased employees

Support
“The management has decided to support the family members of the deceased employees by providing job opportunities for their first-degree relatives, educational assistance for their children, housing for homeless employees and other financial support whenever necessary. “We would like to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Government of the State of Kuwait, including the Ministry of Interior and the authorities of the Ministry of Health for their un-wavering support and assistance.

“We also express our sincere thanks to the Government of India, the Government of the Philippines, the Indian Embassy in Kuwait and the Embassy of the Philippines in Kuwait for their continued support; as well as the support we received from the governments of the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Punjab and West Bengal. “We express our gratitude to all firefighting and rescue teams, Kuwait Police, medical and nonmedical staff in various hospitals, ambulance staff, members of the Nursing Association and different care associations in Kuwait. “We extend our sincere thanks to all media professionals in Kuwait and other countries for their support. “Lastly, the management would like to commend the employees of Nasser Mohammed Al-Badah and Partner General Trading and Contracting Company for their immediate response and action during the emergency that the company witnessed.”

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