Kuwait- he bodies of five out of 12 people who lost their lives due to consumption of toxic alcohol in Kuwait have been brought back to Nepal. According to Giri Prasad Acharya, the Labor Attaché based in Kuwait, the process of repatriating the remaining seven bodies to Nepal has already begun.
The Nepali Embassy in Kuwait informed that the deceased were from districts including Morang, Syangja, Lamjung, Taplejung, Bhojpur, and Nawalparasi.
According to Acharya, 13 people are still undergoing treatment in the hospital. “Thirteen people are still receiving treatment in the hospital,” he told Nepalkhabar. “Seven of the 13 are being treated in the ICU, while the rest are in the process of being discharged as they recover.”
Earlier, it was reported that 16 Nepalis had died, but he clarified that those individuals were not Nepali citizens; they were Nepali-speaking individuals, which is why that figure was initially included.
The total number of deaths due to consumption of toxic alcohol in Kuwait is 23. Among them, 12 are Nepali, some are Nepali-speaking individuals, and the rest are citizens of other countries.
Similarly, the Kuwaiti government has reported arresting 67 people accused of being involved in the production and sale of the hooch that caused the 23 deaths. There are suspicions that Nepalis are among those arrested.
Among those arrested is one Bangladeshi citizen. The local police have already taken control of six factories and four other factories that were preparing to begin production of illegal alcohol.
As Kuwait is a Muslim country, the import or domestic production of alcohol is completely prohibited. However, some individuals produce alcohol illegally in secret locations.
According to Kuwait’s Ministry of Health, the number of people who have fallen ill from consuming the adulterated alcohol has reached 160. Among the patients, 51 immediately required emergency dialysis while 31 people are being treated on ventilators. The condition of some of them is serious.
The Indian Embassy in Kuwait had stated that approximately 40 Indian citizens have been hospitalized in recent days.
