At least 41 people were killed in a massive fire that broke out in a six-story building in the city of Mangaf in southern Kuwait early Wednesday.
Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah told reporters on the scene that dozens of others were injured in the blaze that engulfed the building, which had reportedly housed foreign workers far over its capacity.
Sheikh Fahad, who is also the defense and interior minister, ordered the building’s owner arrested. “Unfortunately, the greed of real estate owners is what leads to these matters,” he was quoted as saying.
He added that starting Thursday, authorities will investigate building violations and take action “without prior warning.”
Authorities said an investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
The fire was brought under control, Kuwait’s fire service said in a post on X, and emergency services are continuing to take the injured to nearby hospitals, the official KUNA news agency reported.
A police commander told state TV that a large number of workers were in the building when the fire started, without specifying a figure. According to several social media users, nearly 200 people were living in the affected building.
The police official said that such overcrowding has been a serious issue and did not comment on the workers’ occupations or nationalities.
196 عامل يقطنون بعمارة بالمنقف وعدد الضحايا 40 حتى هذه اللحظه
تواجد وزير الداخلية وشوفوا رده على صاحب الشركه اللي مسكن العماله كلامه يبرد القلب.
لاحول ولا قوة إلا بالله #الكويت#حريق_المنقف pic.twitter.com/RAo1GEgHf2— أم سعود الجيعان♿️ (@Majedahaljarki) June 12, 2024
The Indian Embassy in Kuwait said in a post on X that over 30 Indian workers were among those injured in the fire, and several others were feared dead.
Kuwait hosts a large community of Indians, most of whom work in low-wage jobs in construction and the medical field. According to figures from the Indian Embassy, there are more than 1 million Indians in Kuwait, making up 21% of the small Gulf nation’s 4.8 million total population and 30% of its workforce.
Low-income workers in Kuwait have long faced housing problems in light of high rents, often finding themselves crammed into small apartments. According to the local Al-Anba newspaper, 62% of migrant workers in Kuwait earn less than 125 Kuwaiti dinars (around $400) per month.
Many workers thus resort to small spaces, and up to five people sometimes share a room. Thousands of others live in partitioned apartments across Kuwait, Al-Anba cited real estate sources as saying.
