At least 40 Indians die in a fire at a building housing foreign workers in Kuwait
A fire swept through a building that housed foreign workers in Kuwait early Wednesday, killing at least 40 Indian nationals, the Indian government said.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A fire swept through a building that housed foreign workers in Kuwait early Wednesday, killing at least 40 Indian nationals and injuring more than 50, India’s external affairs ministry said. Local officials said the blaze appeared to be linked to code violations.
Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousuf Al-Sabah confirmed the toll and ordered the arrest of the building’s owner during a visit to the site, local media reported.
“We will address the issue of labor overcrowding,” he said. “I’m now going to see what violations were committed here and I will deal with the owner of the property.”
Col. Sayed Hassan al-Mousawi, head of the firefighters’ Accident Investigation Department, said there were dozens of casualties and that the final death toll might be higher.
India’s external affairs ministry said late Wednesday in a statement that “around 40 Indians are understood to have died and over 50 injured.”
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