Final rites of Kuwait blaze victim Sivashankar Govindhan held in Chennai
Jun 15, 2024
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 15 : The final rites of Sivashankar Govindhan, one of the seven people from Tamil Nadu who was killed in the Kuwait fire tragedy, was performed in Chennai's Royapuram crematorium on Saturday.
Forty-eight-year-old Govindhan who was working in Kuwait for over a year as a truck driver was among the 45 Indians who were killed in the fire at a labour accommodation in Kuwait's Mangaf on June 12.
Govindhan is survived by his wife, Hema Kumari, daughter Shanthika and son, Deepak Raj.
A day after the tragic incident, Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed his condolences and announced financial aid of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of seven Tamil Nadu natives.
Taking to his official X handle, Stalin posted on Thursday, "The news that seven Tamils have died in Kuwait fire is very painful. The Tamil Nadu government is making arrangements to bring the bodies of the deceased to India by private plane and hand them over to their families as soon as possible."
He added, "I have extended my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and ordered a relief of Rs 5 lakh each to each family. The Government of Tamil Nadu will provide all necessary assistance to those undergoing treatment for burn injuries."
Apart from the seven from Tamil Nadu, three people from Andhra Pradesh, one each from Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Punjab, and West Bengal, in addition to the 23 from Kerala died in the Kuwait fire tragedy.
An IAF plane carrying the bodies of the deceased Indians landed in Kochi on Friday, where the bodies of those from southern Indian states were given to authorities, and then the plane continued to Delhi's Palam airport.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, who had gone to Kuwait after the incident, was on the plane accompanying the mortal remains of the victims.
He emphasised that usually it takes 10-15 days, but at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's and EAM Jaishankar's request, we have been able to bring the mortal remains of those Indian nationals who lost their lives in the deadly fire incident.
"Usually it takes 10-15 days, but at the request of PM Modi and EAM Jaishankar, we have been able to bring the mortal remains of those 45 Indian nationals," he said.
