Kerala man defies odds in Kuwait fire tragedy

Kasaragod (Kerala), NT Bureau: A split-second decision by Nalinakshan, who was among those in the residential building in Kuwait which caught fire, saved his life. At least 45 Indians have died in the fire tragedy.

The resident of Thrikkaripur in northern Kerala, found himself trapped on a third floor apartment in the building when disaster struck. In a daring bid to escape the flames, he jumped onto a nearby water tank.

Though the leap to safety left him with broken ribs and injuries, Nalinakshan managed to survive the tragedy.

Relatives who lived nearby quickly found him and rushed him to a hospital in Kuwait for urgent medical care.

"We received the shocking news around 11 am on Wednesday," Nalinakshan's uncle Balakrishnan told a news channel here. He said the family could not speak much to Nalinakshan on the phone as he was bleeding from his mouth.

"His surgery will be performed, and we are slightly relieved because he is being treated at a good hospital there," Balakrishnan added.

According to the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs of State of Kerala (NORKA Roots), the number of people from Kerala who died in the Kuwait fire tragedy has risen to 24.

The blaze, which started in the kitchen, erupted around 4 am on Wednesday while most of the 195 migrant workers were asleep.

Lulu Group announces Rs five lakh each for those killed in inferno

Prominent NRI businessman and Chairman of UAE-based Lulu Group Mr. Yusuff Ali M.A. on Thursday announced Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the deceased in the tragic Kuwait fire tragedy, which left 49 persons, including 45 Indians, dead.

At least 49 foreign workers were killed and 50 others injured in the fire on Wednesday at the seven-storey building where 196 migrant workers were staying in the southern city of Mangaf.