Kuwait fire: Mortal remains of two Odisha natives arrive in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: The mortal remains of two people from Odisha who died in the Kuwait fire incident arrived in Bhubaneswar on Saturday morning.

Deputy Chief Ministers K V Singh Deo and Pravati Parida received the bodies of Muhammad Jahur and Santosh Kumar Gouda at Biju Patnaik International Airport and paid floral tributes.

The bodies were later taken to their native villages where their family members would perform the last rites.

Expressing condolences to the bereaved families, Singh Deo said that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased.

Parida said, "It is extremely saddening that two very young Odias, who went to another country for their livelihood, lost their lives in the devastating fire incident. This might cause fear among Odias residing in other countries. But I want to convey that our government is always there and will be there for every Odia."

Pro-tem Speaker Ranendra Pratap Swain, minister Prithviraj Harichandan and Health Secretary Shalini Pandit also paid tributes to departed souls.

Earlier, the chief minister expressed grief over the death of two Odisha natives in the fire incident.

Gouda hailed from Ranajhalli village in Purosottampur block of Ganjam district, while Jahur was a native of Karadapalli village in Tigiria police station area in Cuttack district.

They were working for a private company and residing in the seven-storey apartment building in Mangaf in southern Kuwait where the fire broke out early on Wednesday morning.

Jahur's family members said he was married for only two years and his wife was seven-months pregnant. He had been working in Kuwait since 2017 and had visited his village only a month ago.

Similarly, Gouda had visited his village in March and had returned to Kuwait in April.