A fire broke out in a building, housing workers in the city of Mangaf in southern Kuwait early on Wednesday, killing at least 41 people, West Asian media reported, citing authorities. According to the Health Ministry, the blaze also injured dozens of people. The area is heavily populated with foreign labourers, but there was no immediate information on the nationality of the casualties.
The incident was reported to authorities at 6:00AM, Major General Eid Rashad Hamad said. The fire started in the kitchen in the six-storey building in Mangaf area in Kuwait’s southern Ahmedi Governorate, officials said. The Kuwaiti health ministry said about 43 people were hospitalised due to the fire and four of those people died.
Posting about the incident on the social media site X, the Union External Affairs Minister Subramaniam Jaishankar expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. “Deeply shocked by the news of the fire incident in Kuwait City. There are reportedly 40 deaths and over 50 people have been hospitalised. Our ambassador has gone to the camp. We are awaiting further information. Our Embassy will render the fullest assistance to all concerned in this regard, Jaishankar wrote.
After this tragic incident, Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad al-Yousuf Al-Sabah paid a visit to the site and ordered the arrest of the building’s owner, as per West Asian media. “Unfortunately, the greed of real estate owners is what leads to these matters,” said Sheikh Fahad, who also runs the interior and defence ministries. Authorities reported that the fire was under control and the teams were investigating what caused it.
“The building in which the fire occurred was used to house workers, and there were a large number of workers there. Dozens were rescued, but unfortunately, there were many deaths as a result of inhaling smoke from the fire,” West Asian media reported, citing a senior police commander’s statement. “We always alert and warn against” cramming too many workers into housing accommodation, he said, without providing details on the workers’ type of employment or place of origin.
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