Several Indians among 41 killed in Kuwait fire

Kuwait City: A massive fire engulfed a multi-storey building in Kuwait housing foreign workers, mostly Indians, early on Wednesday, killing at least 41 people and injuring more than 50 others, according to officials. Most deaths were due to smoke inhalation while residents were sleeping, and a significant number of occupants were evacuated, it added.

The fire started in a kitchen in the six-storey building in the Mangaf area in Kuwait’s southern Ahmadi Governorate, officials said, adding that the building reportedly had nearly 200 people living in it, who are workers of the same company. Director General of the Forensic Department Maj Gen Eid Al-Owaihan said the death toll has exceeded 35, with four injured individuals succumbing to their injuries at the hospitals, English language daily Arab Times reported.

He said that the majority of the deceased were Indian nationals from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and north Indian states. Their ages ranged between 20 and 50 years, the paper added. The building is rented by the NBTC group. Sources said that five firefighters sustained injuries during the rescue operation.