PATHANAMTHITTA: The hopes and dreams of five families were shattered when news arrived that as many Pathanamthitta natives were among the victims of the devastating Kuwait fire.
Like every other person who goes to the Gulf region in search of employment, Akash Sasidharan Nair, 31, wanted to provide his family with a better life. His parents had initially settled in Delhi. When Akash was just six years old, his father passed away, and the family moved back to Pandalam. His mother depended on her modest income from working at a local chemist’s shop to raise Akash and his elder sister.
Akash, who worked in the construction sector, was set to travel to his hometown in August after two years. The family was also working out marriage proposals for him. A pall of gloom descended on his house in Mudiyoorkonam, after the family came to know about the tragedy. Aggravating the pain, Akash’s body is yet to be located and identified. Saumya Santosh, the local councillor and Akash’s former teacher said they are awaiting confirmation. “His body isn’t among those at the hospital. We’ve made local contacts through a friend of Akash, and the search is ongoing,” she said. Other victims from the district have been identified as: Cibin T Abraham, 31, from Keezhvaipur; Thomas C Oommen, 37, from Tiruvalla; and Saju Varghese, 56, from Attachakkal, Konni. Mathew George, whose family hails from Niranam but is currently residing in Pandanad, Alappuzha, is also reportedly among the victims.
Another of the victims, P V Muraleedharan, from Vazhamuttom, had worked in Kuwait for over three decades and was planning to return home for good. Saju had been in Kuwait for 22 years and was preparing to travel home for his younger daughter’s school admission. The tragedy has left the district in deep shock, with families and communities struggling to come to terms with the grief.
