41 people killed in fire in southern Kuwait: State media

At least 41 people were killed in a building fire in the city of Mangaf in Kuwait’s southern Ahmadi Governorate, the country’s state media reported on Wednesday.

Eid Rashed Hamas from Kuwait police, during a media interview with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information, said at least 15 of the injured were transferred to nearby hospitals for treatment, including four who were killed in the fire. The figures are not yet final.

Authorities said the fire had been brought under control and were investigating what caused it.

The area is heavily populated with foreign labourers, but there was no immediate information on the nationality of the casualties.

Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad al-Yousuf al-Sabah ordered the arrest of the building’s owner during a visit to the site.

“Unfortunately, the greed of real estate owners is what leads to these matters,” said Sheikh Fahad, who also runs the interior and defence ministries.

'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.

“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.