Hoshiarpur (Punjab) Hoshiarpur native Himmat Rai, who was among those killed in the devastating fire in Mangaf in southern Kuwait, was the sole breadwinner of his family.
His family lives in Kakkon, a suburb of Hoshiarpur city, and has been in a state of shock ever since they received the news of the tragedy.
According to official sources, Himmat Rai (62), originally from Salempur village in Hoshiarpur district, was among the victims who lost their lives in the tragic fire in the Middle Eastern country on Wednesday.
On 12 June, the Al-Mangaf building fire killed at least 49 people and most of them were Indians; The rest were Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian and Nepalese nationals.
About 195 migrant workers lived in the building in the Mangaf area of southern Kuwait.Rai is survived by his wife, two married daughters and a minor son.
People from all sections of society flocked to Himmat Rai's residence since Thursday evening to express their condolences to the bereaved family.
Rai's wife Sarbjit Kaur said on Friday that her husband was the sole breadwinner of the family.
He left India about 28 to 30 years ago and joined NBTC firm in Kuwait to earn his livelihood. The family told that he was working as a foreman in the construction department of the company.His two daughters – Amandeep Kaur (35) and Sumandeep Kaur (32) – are married, while his 16-year-old son Arshdeep Singh is studying in class 10 at Government School, Baghpur.
The family moved from Salempur village to their newly constructed house in Kakkon in 2012.
On Thursday, Arshdeep received a call from one of Rai's colleagues informing him of his father's death in a fire.
The family initially did not believe the news and immediately contacted a relative working in the same company in Kuwait to inquire about Rai's well-being. His relative informed him that Rai was admitted to the emergency room of the hospital, but was later confirmed dead.Rai visited his home last year and stayed for about two months before returning to Kuwait. He last spoke to his family on Tuesday.
Although Rai never discussed his earnings with his family, his wife said that he always provided the family with the necessary funds to meet their expenses.
His younger daughter Sumandeep Kaur told that the area where her father lived was cramped. His father had told him that he did his daily exercise sitting on the stairs.
Earlier he had told that the living conditions in the building in Kuwait were fine, but recently the rooms in the building have been divided, making the area cramped.According to him, about 195 people including his father lived in the building.
Sumandeep Kaur believes that if the building "was not so crowded, people could have easily escaped".
The family said they had no knowledge of any assistance provided to the victims' families by the NBTC in Kuwait.
He said that he hopes that the government and the company in Kuwait will sincerely help him to meet his living expenses.
Meanwhile, Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal said on Friday that administration officials have gone to Delhi to collect Rai's body.He said that as per the instructions of the government, every kind of assistance will be provided to Rai's family.
Two relatives of the family have also gone to Delhi to collect the body, who are expected to arrive by this evening.
Sumandeep Kaur said, his last rites will be held on Saturday.
An Indian Air Force (IAF) flight landed at Kochi International Airport on Friday carrying the bodies of Indians killed in the tragic fire incident in Kuwait two days ago.
India had sent a military transport aircraft to Kuwait on Thursday night to bring back the bodies of more than 40 Indians who died in the fire.
His family lives in Kakkon, a suburb of Hoshiarpur city, and has been in a state of shock ever since they received the news of the tragedy.
According to official sources, Himmat Rai (62), originally from Salempur village in Hoshiarpur district, was among the victims who lost their lives in the tragic fire in the Middle Eastern country on Wednesday.
On 12 June, the Al-Mangaf building fire killed at least 49 people and most of them were Indians; The rest were Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian and Nepalese nationals.
About 195 migrant workers lived in the building in the Mangaf area of southern Kuwait.Rai is survived by his wife, two married daughters and a minor son.
People from all sections of society flocked to Himmat Rai's residence since Thursday evening to express their condolences to the bereaved family.
Rai's wife Sarbjit Kaur said on Friday that her husband was the sole breadwinner of the family.
He left India about 28 to 30 years ago and joined NBTC firm in Kuwait to earn his livelihood. The family told that he was working as a foreman in the construction department of the company.His two daughters – Amandeep Kaur (35) and Sumandeep Kaur (32) – are married, while his 16-year-old son Arshdeep Singh is studying in class 10 at Government School, Baghpur.
The family moved from Salempur village to their newly constructed house in Kakkon in 2012.
On Thursday, Arshdeep received a call from one of Rai's colleagues informing him of his father's death in a fire.
The family initially did not believe the news and immediately contacted a relative working in the same company in Kuwait to inquire about Rai's well-being. His relative informed him that Rai was admitted to the emergency room of the hospital, but was later confirmed dead.Rai visited his home last year and stayed for about two months before returning to Kuwait. He last spoke to his family on Tuesday.
Although Rai never discussed his earnings with his family, his wife said that he always provided the family with the necessary funds to meet their expenses.
His younger daughter Sumandeep Kaur told that the area where her father lived was cramped. His father had told him that he did his daily exercise sitting on the stairs.
Earlier he had told that the living conditions in the building in Kuwait were fine, but recently the rooms in the building have been divided, making the area cramped.According to him, about 195 people including his father lived in the building.
Sumandeep Kaur believes that if the building "was not so crowded, people could have easily escaped".
The family said they had no knowledge of any assistance provided to the victims' families by the NBTC in Kuwait.
He said that he hopes that the government and the company in Kuwait will sincerely help him to meet his living expenses.
Meanwhile, Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal said on Friday that administration officials have gone to Delhi to collect Rai's body.He said that as per the instructions of the government, every kind of assistance will be provided to Rai's family.
Two relatives of the family have also gone to Delhi to collect the body, who are expected to arrive by this evening.
Sumandeep Kaur said, his last rites will be held on Saturday.
An Indian Air Force (IAF) flight landed at Kochi International Airport on Friday carrying the bodies of Indians killed in the tragic fire incident in Kuwait two days ago.
India had sent a military transport aircraft to Kuwait on Thursday night to bring back the bodies of more than 40 Indians who died in the fire.
