Kochi Receives 20 Bodies of Indians Who Died in Kuwait Amid Gulf Tensions
The mortal remains of 20 Indians, who lost their lives in separate incidents across Kuwait, have been repatriated to their native places in India. The bodies arrived at Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial) late on Tuesday night, transported by a special Kuwait Air flight that landed around 10.40pm.
Flight Disruptions Delay Repatriation Efforts
According to Cial authorities, the bodies were handed over to relatives or agents by Tuesday midnight or early Wednesday morning. A Cial official explained that the transportation was delayed due to flight disruptions caused by ongoing tensions in the Gulf region. "We completed the procedures before handing over the bodies by Tuesday midnight. As per our information, they all died in separate incidents in different parts of Kuwait in the past few days. The bodies couldn't be transported to India due to flight disruption owing to ongoing tensions in the Gulf," the official stated. He added that this was among the highest number of bodies arriving at Cial in a single day.
Details of the Deceased and Distribution of Bodies
Among the deceased was Santhana Selvam, an electrician from Tamil Nadu, who was tragically killed when parts of a drone reportedly fell on his workplace cabin. Most of the other deaths were attributed to ailments or accidents, as per reports. The agency handling the transportation of cadavers confirmed that 17 bodies were shifted to other states across India:
- Five bodies transported to Delhi
- Five bodies transported to Tamil Nadu
- Two bodies each to Lucknow and Hyderabad
- One body each to Bengaluru, Agartala, Ahmedabad, Kozhikode, Kottayam, and Alappuzha
Heartbreaking Account of Santhana Selvam's Death
Santhana Selvam, hailing from Anikurunthan in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, was the sole breadwinner for his family. His cousin, B Karmegham, shared the tragic details: "He had gone to repair a generator at the worksite, near Iran border, of the firm he worked for around 2.30am on March 30. While he was inside a shed, parts of a drone fell on it. On hearing the sound, his colleague, who was outside the shed managed to escape, but Selvam couldn't. He was brought dead to a nearby hospital in Kuwait." Selvam is survived by his wife Kausalya, children Jaswin (7) and Sai Uvania (3), and parents Krishnan and Udaiyekal. His body was transported from Kochi by road and cremated in his village on Wednesday afternoon.
Another Case: A P Sunil Kumar from Kozhikode
Another victim, A P Sunil Kumar from Kozhikode, died of a heart attack on March 26. His relative, Anoop K, mentioned that Sunil Kumar worked as office staff at a school in Kuwait. "The body was originally scheduled to be brought home on April 29, but the flight was cancelled. The body was brought home on Wednesday morning and cremated," he said. This highlights the broader impact of the flight disruptions on repatriation schedules.
The repatriation of these 20 bodies underscores the challenges faced by Indian expatriates in conflict-prone regions and the logistical hurdles in bringing them home during times of geopolitical instability.
