At least 41 dead in fire at building housing workers in Kuwait | News

A fire breaks out in a building in the south of Mangaf district, an area heavily populated by foreign workers in Kuwait.

At least 41 people have been killed in a fire that broke out in a building housing workers in Kuwait, authorities say.

Wednesday morning's fire in the southern district of Mangaf also injured dozens of people, the health ministry said. The area is heavily populated by foreign workers, but no information was immediately available on the nationality of the victims.

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

“Unfortunately, it is the greed of real estate owners that leads to these problems,” said Sheikh Fahad, who also heads the interior and defense ministries.

Authorities said the fire had been brought under control and they were investigating its causes.

“The building where the fire broke out was used to house workers, and there were a large number of workers there. Dozens of people were rescued, but unfortunately there were many deaths due to inhalation of smoke from the fire,” a senior police commander told state television.

“We always alert and caution against” crowding too many workers into housing, he said, without providing details on the type of employment or where the workers are from. .