Middle East conflict: Tamil Nadu man killed in Iranian attack on Kuwait; family seeks govt aid to bring body home

NEW DELHI/MADURAI: A man hailing from Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu was killed in an attack on a power and water desalination plant in Kuwait, taking the toll of Indians killed in the ongoing war in the West Asia region to eight. The deceased, K Santhana Selvam, 37, hails from Anikurunthan village, and is survived by his wife S Kausalya and two children.

Kuwait’s ministry of electricity, water and renewable energy said a service building at one of its power and water distillation plants was damaged in the ‘brutal’ attack, according to state-run KUNA news agency.


Ministry spokesperson Fatima Jawhar Hayat said the strike resulted in the death of an Indian worker. Technical and emergency response teams were immediately deployed at the site to contain the situation and manage the aftermath, she added.

Kausalya said her husband was working as a contract labourer for a company in Kuwait for more than 12 years. She received information from the Indian embassy on Monday morning that her husband was killed in a missile attack launched by Iran on Kuwait.

She urged the Union and state govts to take steps to bring her husband’s body to their hometown. Kausalya along with her family members submitted a representation to Ramanathapuram collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon in this regard.

Stating that her family was dependent on her husband's income for their livelihood, she sought financial assistance for her family.

Earlier, the Indian embassy in Kuwait expressed its condolences at the tragedy. “The embassy is closely coordinating with Kuwaiti authorities to render all possible support and assistance,” it said on X, confirming the first Indian death in Kuwait in the conflict.

Last week, an Indian was among two killed in the UAE when debris of missiles intercepted by the country's air defence system fell on a street.