Remains of 3 Kuwait fire victims arrive in PH

Kuwaiti security forces gather outside a building which was ingulfed by fire, in Kuwait City, on June 12, 2024. More than 35 people were killed and dozens injured in a building fire in an area heavily populated with foreign workers in Kuwait, the interior ministry said. —photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat/Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — The remains of the three Kuwait-based Filipinos who died when a fire broke out in a heavily populated residential building south of the city, arrived in the Philippines on Monday afternoon, according to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

OWWA said in a statement that the remains of the victims were received by their families along with the agency’s administrator, Arnell Ignacio, and Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, among other officials (see Facebook post).

READ: 3 OFWs confirmed dead in Kuwait building fire

The agency added that the government will assist the victims’ families as soon as possible.

Based on previous reports, the three died from smoke inhalation. They were part of a group of 11 overseas Filipino workers employed in the same Kuwaiti construction company housed in the building that caught fire.

Citing data from Kuwaiti authorities, the DMW said the fire started at about 4:30 a.m. on June 12. A total of 49 people were killed in the fire.