49 People Die In Kuwaiti Apartment Building Fire

At least 49 people have been killed in a fire at a residential building in the Kuwaiti city of Mangaf, the country’s Interior Ministry says.

Video shared on social media showed flames engulfing the lower part of the building and thick black smoke billowing from the upper floors.

Many of the casualties are said to be foreign workers who lived there.

Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf al-Sabah accused property owners of greed and said violations of building standards had led to the tragedy.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj-Gen Eid al-Oweihan told state TV that the fire was reported at 06:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

He said it was now under control and rescue efforts were continuing.

Local media reports say the building housed 196 workers and there are suggestions that it may have been overcrowded.

A senior police officer told state TV that there were a “large number” of people in the building at the time of the fire.

No details have so far been given about the workers’ countries of origin or the nature of their employment.

However, unconfirmed reports have appeared in Indian media that most of the victims are from the sub-continent.

Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said in a post on X that embassy officials had visited the injured in hospital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also on X, sent condolences to the families of those who had died.

Two-thirds of the Kuwaiti population is made up of foreign workers and the country is highly dependent on migrant labour, especially in the construction and domestic sectors.

Human rights groups have regularly raised concern over their living conditions.