Bhubaneswar: The mortal remains of two Odia workers -- Mohammad Jahur and Santosh Goud, who were killed in a horrific fire in Kuwait, returned to Odisha for their last rites.

Paying last respects on arrival of bodies at Bhubaneswar airport today, Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo announced ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to families of deceased persons.

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Expressing grief over the loss of lives in the tragic Kuwait fire incident, Singh Deo said that MP Anita Subhadarshini and Cabinet Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena will accompany the bodies to their respective villages.

Pro-tem Speaker Ranendra Pratap Swain condoled the death of Mohammad Jahur, the resident of Karadapalli village under Tigiria police limits in Cuttack district. He said that he would accompany the mortal remains of Jahur to his village and attend the last rites.

A pall of gloom descended on the native villages of Jahur and Goud in Tigiria and Purusottampur areas in Cuttack and Ganjam districts after two Odia workers among 45 Indians were killed in a devastating fire that broke out at a housing facility where 176 workers were staying in Kuwait on Thursday.

Among deceased Indians, 23 were from Kerala, 7 from Tamil Nadu, 3 each from Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, 2 from Odisha, and one each from Bihar, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Haryana.