KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health on Wednesday confirmed that 63 people have been hospitalized since Saturday due to alcohol poisoning caused by the consumption of methanol-contaminated drinks. Thirteen victims, all of Asian nationalities, have died. In a statement, the ministry said several patients remain in intensive care units, with medical teams performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on 31 cases.

Emergency dialysis was administered to 51 patients, while 21 individuals suffered permanent or temporary vision loss as a result of the poisoning. Authorities said coordination is underway between hospitals and security agencies to contain the situation, ensure proper medical response, and investigate the source of the contaminated drinks. All necessary medical and emergency measures are being implemented.

Methanol dangers

Methanol — a toxic alcohol used in industrial products such as antifreeze, solvents, and fuel — can cause severe poisoning if ingested, even in small quantities. Unlike ethanol, which is found in alcoholic beverages, methanol is not safe for human consumption. Symptoms of poisoning include headache, vomiting, blurred vision, seizures, and in severe cases, coma or death.

Health authorities have previously warned that illicitly produced alcoholic beverages may contain dangerous levels of methanol due to unsafe distillation processes. Past incidents in various countries have resulted in multiple fatalities and cases of permanent blindness. Kuwait strictly prohibits the production, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages, and security forces have intensified efforts in recent years to curb smuggling and dismantle illegal brewing operations. — Agencies

KUWAIT: As part of the ongoing efforts by the General Administration of Customs to combat smuggling, customs inspectors at the Nuwaiseeb border crossing foiled an attempt to smuggle cigarettes out of the country.

When a vehicle arrived at the inspection area, the inspector did a routine check and didn’t find anything illegal inside except for 20 packs of cigarettes that were visible.

After inspecting the vehicle and passing it through an X-ray machine, abnormal densities were found in the four tires, and a manual inspection revealed 620 packs of cigarettes professionally hidden inside the tires.

 A report was filed on the incident, and the seized items and suspects were referred to the competent authorities to complete the remaining legal procedures against them.

KUWAIT: Family visas for expats are valid from one month to one year like tourist visas, a top interior ministry official announced on Wednesday, a day after the ministry said all expats can bring in their extended families to the country without the need for a salary cap condition.

Deputy director of the electronic services at the Residency Affairs Department Col Abdulaziz Al-Kandari told reporters at the government communications center that family visas can be for a single entry for one month, or two months or three months.

It can also be for multiple entries for between three months to one year, provided any single stay should not exceed one month, he said.

Kuwait on Tuesday said that family visas for expats was open for everyone with a valid residence permit, thus abolishing the salary cap condition that restricted the majority of expats from bringing in their wives and children to Kuwait.

The ministry also said family visas were expanded to include four-degree relatives and third-degree relatives by marriage.

Kundari said that expats willing to bring their relatives can apply online at Kuwaitvisa platform or application by uploading the necessary documents.

Relatives allowed to be brought by expat residents include a wide range of relatives from wives, children, parents to parents of the wife, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces, grandfathers and grandmothers, grandchildren of both the applicants and their wives and others.

They also include the father’s wife for both applicants and wives, the son’s wife, the daughter’s husbands and similar relatives.

For a majority of applications only a birth certificate is required and a marriage certificate is needed for some cases to establish the relationship. Col Kandari said that all documents must be in Arabic and documents in other languages must be translated into Arabic from authorized offices.

Kandari also announced a large number of professionals residing in GCC states and who can obtain a tourist visa either on arrival or online through the Kuwaitvisa platform.

They include chairmen of companies, their deputies and assistants, diplomats and embassy staff, general managers, managers and their assistants and deputies, judges, public prosecutors and lawyers, university academics, holders of golden visas, investors, businessmen and partners and others.

They also include real estate owners, consultants and their assistants, experts and assistants, senior jobs in travel and tourism business, accountants, auditors and financial analysts, doctors and surgeons and their assistants, pharmacists and their assistants, nurses and their assistants, medical technicians, engineers and their assistants, school teachers and assistants, information analysts and alike, pilots and air stewards and others.

They also include referees and coaches and their assistants, journalists and media men, in addition to professions that come under physicists, chemists, geologists, marketing officer, advisor, vessel captain and alike.

Permitted professions can be checked through the Kuwaitvisa platform while applying online.

Kundari said that applicants must also state their address in Kuwait or the address of their hosts.

Kandari said that all types of visas are open to all nationalities except for the Israeli nationality which is barred by an Amiri decree. He also said that holders of travel documents can obtain a visa with the approval of the interior minister.