ALAPPUZHA : Four members of a family from Alappuzha’s Thalavady lost their lives in a fire that broke out on Friday in the Saif Residential Complex in Abbasiya, Kuwait.
The deceased are Mathew, 42, of Mulakkal, Neerettupuram, his wife Lini, 37, their elder daughter Irene, 14, and their younger son Isaac, 9.
The family had returned to Kuwait on Friday morning after a one-month vacation in Kerala, preparing for their children’s school reopening. Mathew was an employee at Reuters, Kuwait, and Lini, a nurse.
Lini belongs to Arthisseri Puthenparambu family in Thalavady. They had been in the Gulf for the past 15 years. The fire is reported to have started from the air conditioner at their residence.
Efforts are under way to expedite the official procedures to repatriate the bodies. The relatives and local authorities have contacted the Indian Ambassador to Kuwait, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Union Minister Suresh Gopi, and Kodikkunnil Suresh, MP, to facilitate the process. Chambakulam block panchayat member Ajith Kumar Pisharody said that steps were being taken to bring the bodies to Kerala.