Indian man travelling home for nephew’s wedding killed in Iran drone strike on Kuwait airport

4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 4, 2026 08:20 PM IST

In a retaliatory firing, Tehran targeted Al Salem Air base of the US, which is located in an industrial area in Kuwait. (AP photo)

Manzoor Ahmed, the Indian national killed in Kuwait on Wednesday, was travelling to his hometown in Madhya Pradesh to join his family for his nephew’s wedding when an Iranian drone struck the Kuwait International Airport.

The attack marked one of the most serious spillovers affecting civilians and foreign workers in the Gulf since the latest escalation between Iran and the United States.

Unfulfilled plans for a devastated family

Ahmed, 55, was a resident of Ujjain district and was scheduled to board a flight from Kuwait on Wednesday around 7:30pm. The flight was destined for Mumbai, from where Ahmed would have boarded a train for his hometown, PTI reported. The report added that his family was planning to welcome him at the railway station.

At least 63 people were injured as a result of Iranian strikes on Kuwait.

The country’s airport was also damaged. pic.twitter.com/0Cf9XP88L6

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 3, 2026

Ahmed, who worked for nearly 30 years as a tailor in Kuwait, spoke with his 18-year-old son, Anas Ahmed, on Tuesday but was unaware that it would turn out to be his last conversation.

Ambassador Paramita Tripathi visited the Indian nationals who were injured in the attack on the Airport and are being treated at various hospitals in Kuwait. (Photo: X/ @indembkwt)

Ahmed was poised to attend his nephew’s wedding on June 8 in Ratlam district. He is survived by his wife, son, two daughters and mother.

Official notification and repatriation efforts

Ahmed’s brother-in-law, Mohammed Ismail, told PTI that government officials informed the family about Ahmed’s death and shared details related to the arrival of his mortal remains in India.

Embassy of India in Kuwait expresses its deepest condolences at the tragic demise of an Indian national due to an attack on the airport in Kuwait today. The Embassy is in touch with the bereaved family and is closely coordinating with the Kuwaiti authorities to render all…

— India in Kuwait (@indembkwt) June 3, 2026

“Around 2.30 pm on Wednesday, we received a call from the Indian Embassy informing us that Manzoor had died in the airport attack,” Ismail said over the phone to PTI.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that it is in touch with the family of Ahmed and that his mortal remains are expected to arrive in India on June 5.

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Government confirms casualties and condolences

During a press briefing on the West Asia situation in Delhi, Aseem R Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “Yesterday, in an attack on the Kuwait International Airport, an Indian national unfortunately lost his life. We express our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.”

Ambassador @ParamitaTrpathi visited the Central Mortuary of Kuwait today where the mortal remains of the Indian national who lost his life this morning during the attack on the Kuwait International Airport, were brought.

Ambassador met Brig. Abdulrahim Al-Awadhi, General… pic.twitter.com/x13Ol8pEMU

— India in Kuwait (@indembkwt) June 3, 2026

The MEA further stated that 13 Indian nationals were injured in the attack and are currently undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Kuwait.

Kuwait hosts a large Indian expatriate population, many employed in construction, healthcare and service sectors.

Geopolitical escalation damages civil infrastructure

Drones fired from Iran heavily damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s main airport, which was the latest retaliatory strikes between Iran and US testing the fragile ceasefire.

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