Forty-nine people were killed and dozens injured in a devastating building fire housing workers in Kuwait on Wednesday, according to local authorities, local media reported.
The fire started in a kitchen in the six-storey building in Mangaf city, officials said, adding the building reportedly had around 160 residents, who are workers of the same company. Witnesses said some people jumped from the fifth floor of the building to escape the fire and died.
The incident was reported to authorities at 6 am local time (0300 GMT), Major General Eid Rashed Hamad said.
“The building in which the fire occurred was used to house workers, and there was a large number of workers there. Dozens were rescued, but unfortunately, there were many deaths as a result of inhaling smoke from the fire,” a senior police commander told state TV.
The Country’s Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al Sabah visited the site. He accused real estate owners of violations and greed, saying those factors contributed towards the incident. Sheikh Fahad described it as a “real disaster”.
According to Onmanorama, 10 Indian nationals, five Keralites, were among those killed in the fire. The building reportedly housed around 160 labourers, including workers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The building belongs to the NBTC group owned by Malayali businessman KG Abraham, reported Onmanorama.
Major General Eid Al Oweihan, Director General of Criminal Evidence, confirmed that the initial death toll was 35. Later, six of the victims succumbed to injuries in a hospital, he said.
Hours later, the interior ministry updated the toll to 49 dead. According to a source in the General Fire Department, the victims suffocated from rising smoke after the fire broke out on the ground floor.
The Ministry of Health has been put on high alert, having dealt with 43 injured cases so far. These include several with serious injuries who have been moved to various hospitals.
