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THUMBNAIL-FIRE

Zen Hernandez

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — Three overseas Filipino workers were among the fatalities in a fire that razed a residential building in the southern Mangaf district of Kuwait City, the Department of Migrant Workers said Thursday.</p><p>Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said the 3 died from smoke inhalation.</p><p>They were part of a group of 11 Filipino skilled workers working for the same Kuwaiti construction company. Six of them have been ascertained safe, while 2 are in critical condition at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a hospital.</p><p>“The unfortunate news is the 3 were identified as fatalities in a hospital in Kuwait. So we are in touch with the families of all affected OFWs, all 11 of them, including those in the ICU and the 3 fatalities,” Cacdac said.</p><p>The Kuwaiti Interior Ministry said that at least 49 people were killed and around 50 injured from the fire. Many of the deaths were caused by smoke inhalation.</p><p>Kuwaiti authorities further reported that the fire broke out at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 12 at the ground floor of the said building. Eyewitness accounts indicate that the fire spread rapidly. </p><p>According to local media, the Mangaf district is an area with a heavy population of workers, with the 6-story building serving as a dormitory facility for around 196 foreign workers employed by the same employer as the Filipino workers.</p><p>Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad al-Yousuf al-Sabah has ordered the arrest of the building’s owner, amid an investigation.</p><p>The DMW is monitoring developments on the investigation, but is prioritizing assistance to all 11 affected Filipinos.</p><p>“There will be assistance in terms of funeral and burial services and of course financial assistance and in the case of OWWA, there are livelihood and scholarship benefits but it will all come in an appropriate time…We have given the instructions to our lawyers to cooperate, coordinate with the Kuwaiti authorities about the cause of the fire and the legal aspects of this case,” Cacdac said.</p><div><iframe width="1101" height="619" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LFAwk5T_shY" title="DMW assures aid to OFWs affected in Kuwait fire | Kasalo (13 June 2024)" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>He has instructed the Migrant Workers Office in Kuwait (MWO-Kuwait) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Welfare Office to coordinate their efforts with the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait (PE-Kuwait) for the repatriation of the remains of the 3 Filipino fatalities. The DMW is also closely monitoring the condition of the other affected Filipinos.</p><p>“We had also reached out to the Kuwaiti Embassy here in Manila to assist us in terms of the monitoring of the well-being of the 2 in the ICU and the 6 who are safe and to arrange for the immediate repatriation of the 3 fatalities,” Cacdac added.</p><p>OWWA Administrator Arnell Ignacio has been also tasked to personally reach out to all the families and relatives of the 11 OFWs.</p><p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been also already informed of the incident.</p><p>“We are in touch with the families of all the affected OFWs, including the families of those two in critical condition and the families of the three fatalities. Six of them are now safe and provided with their immediate needs. We will provide all the necessary assistance and support to the OFWs and their families in this difficult time as directed by the President,” said Cacdac.</p><p>Apart from the 3 Filipinos, the Indian Foreign Ministry said that at least 40 of the 49 fatalities were Indian nationals.</p><p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families of the fatalities and hoped for the fast recovery of the injured.</p><p>“The fire mishap in Kuwait City is saddening. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait is closely monitoring the situation and working with the authorities there to assist the affected,” Modi said on X.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/6/12/more-than-35-dead-dozens-injured-in-kuwait-building-fire-1756" id="isPasted">READ: Fire kills 49 in Kuwait building housing foreign workers</a></div><p>Oil-rich Kuwait has large numbers of foreign workers, many of them from South and Southeast Asia, and mostly working in construction or service industries.</p><p>A source in the fire department said the victims suffocated from rising smoke after the fire started at the building&#x27;s base. <span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;--darkreader-inline-color:#e8e6e3;--darkreader-inline-bgcolor:transparent"><strong>– With a report from Agence France-Presse </strong></span></p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8UIXTkp-vdw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Three Filipino workers died in the fire that razed a building in Kuwait, the Department of Migrant Workers said Thursday.</p>

Three Filipino workers died in the fire that razed a building in Kuwait, the Department of Migrant Workers said Thursday.

3 Filipinos die in Kuwait building fire: DMW

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3 Filipinos die in Kuwait building fire: DMW

Zen Hernandez,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 13, 2024 10:31 AM PHT

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Updated June 14, 2024 08:36 AM PHT

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