3 OFWs DIE IN KUWAIT FIRE

THREE overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) died in a fire that hit a building in southern Kuwait’s Mangaf area early Wednesday, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirmed Thursday.

According to the DMW, the three OFWs were among the 11 OFWs earlier reported to have been affected by the fire in the building that houses workers for a Kuwaiti construction company.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said two other OFWs remain in the hospital and are in critical condition, while the remaining six are all safe and unharmed.

“We are in touch with the families of all the affected OFWs, including the families of those two in critical condition and the families of the three fatalities. Six of them are now safe and provided with their immediate needs,” Cacdac said.

“We will provide all the necessary assistance and support to the OFWs and their families in this difficult time as directed by the President,” he added.

Cacdac said the DMW’s Migrant Workers Office in Kuwait and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Welfare Office have been directed to coordinate their efforts with the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait under Ambassador Jose Cabrera for the repatriation of the three workers’ remains.

The fire broke out at about 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday in the building that served as a housing and dormitory facility for foreign workers employed by the Kuwaiti construction company.

Based on a report by the Kuwait’s Interior Ministry, some 49 people died in the fire, mostly Indians.

The employer’s information provided to the interior minister said the building houses 196 workers.

Fire department sources indicated that the victims succumbed to smoke inhalation resulting from the fire that started at the base of the building.