Kuwait: At least 53 workers, including five Indians, have been killed after a massive fire broke out in a building accommodating labourers in Mangaf area of Kuwait's Southern Ahmadi Governorate.
The Interior Minister of Kuwait who visited the site blamed the building owner for the incident.
"What happened today is a result of the greed of company and building owners," Kuwait Times quoted Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousuf Al-Sabah as saying.
The minister also ordered Kuwait Municipality and the Public Authority for Manpower to launch immediate action to address similar violations where large number of workers are crammed into one residential building, and make sure that all safety requirements are in place in order to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The fire broke out early Wednesday morning, engulfing the building in flames. The fire, which started in the early hours, quickly spread through the building, trapping many inside, according to the state-run Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
The names and details of the Indians and others killed in the incident have not yet been published.
BREAKING: AT LEAST 35 DEAD AFTER BUILDING CATCHES FIRE IN KUWAIT
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 12, 2024
Firefighters are tackling a blaze in a large apartment complex in the city of Mangaf in southern Kuwait.
The cause of the fire is unclear at present.
Source: Reuters pic.twitter.com/F0BATBfNZR
But, Kerala based Onmanorama said the Indians killed in the tragic incidents are from Kerala.
The publication said the building housed around 195 labourers, including workers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The building belongs to NBTC group owned by Malayali businessman KG Abraham.
India Minister of Foreign Affairs S Jaishankar has confirmed the incident and said the Indian Ambassador has reached the incident spot.
"Deeply shocked by the news of the fire incident in Kuwait city. Our Ambassador has gone to the camp. We are awaiting further information,” Jaishankar wrote on social media platform X.
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