NEW DELHI: A special Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft carrying the mortal remains of 45 Indian victims who perished in a tragic fire in Kuwait's Mangaf has landed in India's Kochi.

The plane has landed at the Cochin International airport.

In a post on social media platform X, posted early on Friday (June 14) morning, the Indian Embassy in Kuwait had announced, "A special IAF aircraft carrying the mortal remains of 45 Indian victims in the fire incident in Kuwait has taken off for Kochi. MoS @KVSinghMPGonda, who coordinated with Kuwaiti authorities ensuring swift repatriation, is onboard the aircraft."

A special IAF aircraft carrying mortal remains of 45 Indian victims in the fire incident in Kuwait has taken off for Kochi.

As per reports, the IAF C-130J transport aircraft is expected to first land at Kochi airport on Friday morning, as most of the deceased hailed from Kerala.
Among the victims, 24 were from Kerala, with others hailing from Tamil Nadu, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh.

The fire in an apartment building in Mangaf, as per reports, started in the kitchen of the six-storey building on Wednesday (June 12). 
The building, rented by construction firm NBTC Group, housed 195 workers, and as per officials, most of the deceased died because of the inhalation of smoke while sleeping.

Kuwaiti media reported that the fire originated on the ground floor, exacerbated by the presence of gas cylinders and metal breakers. 

The public prosecution has announced the arrest of a Kuwaiti national and an expatriate, charging them with "killing and injury by error due to negligence of security and safety precautions against fires." While the nationality of the expatriate was not disclosed, it was known that one of the owners was an Indian.

On Wednesday, the MEA reported that approximately 50 Indians were injured in the devastating blaze and were being treated for their injuries.