Indian plane to arrive later today to take the mortal remains

• In Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, four illegal basements and a restaurant were shut; in Khaitan, three more illegal basements were closed. The campaign also led to numerous violations and closures of illegal shops and basements across different areas.

• The Ministry of Interior will issue new legislation to remove violations immediately and without warning, and the legislation will come into effect within two weeks.

• The ministry will have a dedicated number for reporting real estate law violations, with an additional line for double reports.

Sheikh Fahd mentioned that he would be meeting with Kirti Vardhan Singh, the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, who had expressed to the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs his desire to transport the bodies on the plane that brought him to Kuwait. Despite this, Amiri orders were issued to prepare additional aircraft as a backup. Additionally, His Highness the Amir has ordered financial assistance to be provided to each of the families of the victims, according to Al Anba newspaper.

Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef stated during an inspection campaign he headed, in the presence of Dr. Noura Al-Mashaan, the Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs, and with the participation of concerned parties, that ‘48 bodies have been identified, 45 of Indian nationality and three of Filipino nationality, and work is underway to determine the identity of the last body.’

Inspection campaigns were launched on Wednesday morning on violating properties in several areas, led by the First Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Public Works, the Minister of Municipality, and officials from the Ministry of Interior, Kuwait Municipality, the Kuwait Fire Force, and the Ministry of Electricity and Water and Renewable Energy, and the Public Authority for Manpower.

At the beginning of the campaign, Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef, said to a municipal official, “The decision is yours, and I have your back. Do not be afraid.” The campaign resulted in the discovery of several real estate violations.

While Al-Yousef was in the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh area, four illegal basements and a restaurant were closed. In the Khaitan area, three illegal basements were also shut during minister Al-Yousef’s presence. The agencies participating in the campaign also issued several violations and closed a number of illegal shops and basements in various areas.

He added, “In agreement with Dr. Noura Al-Mashaan, the Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs, new legislation will be issued to remove violations immediately and without warning, and the legislation will come into effect within two weeks.”

Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef continued, “I received many calls from real estate owners requesting a 48-hour period to remove violations on their properties, but the campaigns will continue without stopping.”

The minister said that a phone number will be allocated to receive reports of real estate law violations, and a special phone number has been set up for double reports.

Regarding the causes of the fire and the findings of the investigations, he said, “The Public Prosecution launched investigations and detained the company owner, the property owner, a partner in the company, and the guard to complete the investigations.”

For his part, Major General Khaled Abdullah Fahd, the acting Chief of Kuwait Fire Force, said that inspection tours were carried out in four areas: Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, Khaitan, Al-Mangaf, and Mahboula. A large number of violating buildings were identified, and measures began to be taken immediately, with some properties given a 48-hour period to remove the violations.

Major General Khaled Abdullah confirmed that the work is collective, in cooperation with the Kuwait Municipality. Violating buildings are monitored and given a 48-hour warning. If the violations are not addressed, the Kuwait Municipality will remove them by force.

Additionally, the Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy will cut off the electricity supply to any violating building. The workforce, in turn, audits the residents of these buildings to ensure that the specified capacity is consistent with the rules and regulations and that there is no overcrowding in these properties.