Forty-one 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 in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said.
The incident was reported to authorities at 6am 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.
Interior Minister Sheikh Fahd Al Yousef described as a “real disaster”.
According to Major General Eid Rashid from the Ministry of Interior, firefighters and forensic teams were quickly despatched to the site.
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.
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.
Special medical teams were formed to monitor the injured and offer psychological and moral support to them and their families.
Interior Minister Sheikh Fahd Al Yousef attributed the tragedy to ‘negligence and greed of building owners and company operators’. He announced that the building owner, the company owner, and the building’s guard were detained, pending further investigation.
