All precautions taken against fire accidents, claims MD of Kuwait-based firm

NBTC Group founder addresses fatal fire at Kuwait labour camp, emphasizing safety measures and compensation for victims' families.

Frequent safety audits used to be held at the labour camp of the NBTC Group in Kuwait where 49 employees died in the wake of a fire on Wednesday night, K.G. Abraham, founder managing director of NBTCGroupand chairman of KGA Group, told mediapersons here on Saturday.

The fire was apparently triggered by a short-circuit in the building having centralised AC that had been taken on lease. All precautions had been taken against fire accidents in the structure, he said.

To a question on whether the camp had smoke alarms and emergency exits, in which case the occupants could have been forewarned and evacuated to safety, he said the structure had been built in adherence to a plan approved by the regional municipality. “It is possible that thick smoke affected visibility, leading to increase in casualties. The agencies concerned in Kuwait are probing the accident,” he said.

He refuted reports that more than the permitted number of employees had been accommodated in the camp. The building was well-built and not very old. A total of 176 employees were in the camp at the time of fire, while 20 employees who too used to reside there were away on night shift.

While 49 people died, 31 are in hospital. Their condition is reported to be stable. A total of 127 employees were evacuated soon after the fire broke out.

On the compensation to the kin of the victims, he said their legal heirs would get ₹8 lakh, apart from the insurance amount equivalent to four years of salary. Moreover, their dependants would be given preference in jobs.

The companies of Mr. Abraham employed a total of 28,000 people in Kuwait till the pandemic outbreak and at present have about 8,000 employees in the country and 20,000 across West Asia in the construction, retail, and other sectors.