Around 40 Indian workers among 49 killed in Kuwait building blaze

Kuwait Times quoted Major General Eid Al-Owaihan, head of the interior ministry’s General Department of Criminal Evidence, as saying, “Unfortunately, we received a report of a fire at… exactly 6:00 am (0300 GMT) in the Mangaf area.”

Smoke billows after a fire broke out in a building, in Mangaf, Kuwait (PTI)

“As for the deaths in the building behind me, the number has exceeded 35 so far,” he said, standing at the site. Kuwait’s interior ministry later updated the toll to 49, and Indian officials said around 40 are Indians.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh will be leaving for Kuwait on the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to oversee assistance to Indians injured in the fire and to ensure early repatriation of mortal remains of those who died.

The MEA said in a statement that over 50 people suffered injuries, adding that condition of most of them was stable.

The Arab Times reported that the majority of the deceased were Indian nationals aged between 20 and 50 years, who worked for a private company. The building houses over 195 workers, primarily Indians from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and north India, it reported.

Brigadier General Muhammad Al-Gharib, Director of Public Relations in the General Fire Force, said that preliminary statistics indicate multiple fatalities and injuries. The fire, which erupted in this densely populated workers’ building, was reported to the fire department and quickly controlled. Most deaths were due to smoke inhalation as the residents were sleeping at the time of the incident. A significant number of occupants were evacuated, the Arab Times reported.

Images from the scene showed soot blackening the exterior of the building.

A Kuwaiti police officer is seen in front of a burnt building following a deadly fire, in Mangaf, southern Kuwait, June 12, 2024. (Reuters)

Arab Times quoted eyewitnesses of the fire at Al-Mangaf building who described scenes of horror and heroism amidst the chaos. One witness recalled a particularly distressing incident where a resident, driven by desperation to escape the inferno, jumped from the fifth floor, meeting a tragic end as he struck the balcony’s edge, it reported.

Kuwait’s Health Ministry said the injured were admitted to several hospitals — 21 of them were sent to Al-Adan Hospital, 11 to Mubarak Hospital, six to Farwaniya hospital and one to Al-Amiri.

Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef, along with the Governors of Mubarak Al-Kabeer and Ahmadi, visited the fire site, and ordered the arrest of the building’s owner, local media reported.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense and acting Interior Minister, Fahad Yusuf Al-Sabah speaks with Kuwaiti police officers in front of a burnt building following a deadly fire, in Mangaf, southern Kuwait (Reuters)

“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.”

According to local media, Engineer Saud Al-Dabbous, the Director General of Kuwait Municipality, announced the suspension of several key officials, including the Deputy Director General for Hawalli and Al-Ahmadi Governorate Affairs, the Acting Director of the Al-Ahmadi Municipality Branch, the Director of the Audit, Follow-up, and Engineering Department, and the Head of the Violations Removal Department in Al-Ahmadi. These suspensions were enacted in the interest of public safety, pending completion of an investigation.

Prime Minister Modi called the fire mishap “saddening”. “My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait is closely monitoring the situation and working with the authorities there to assist the affected,” he said in a post on X.

Later in the evening, he chaired a review meeting on the fire tragedy at his residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, which was attended by External Affairs minister S Jaishankar, MoS (External Affairs) Kirti Vardhan Singh, Principal Secretary to PM P K Mishra, NSA Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and other senior officials.

The PM announced ex gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased India nationals from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.

Jaishankar expressed deep shock over the incident and said the Indian embassy in the Gulf nation will render the “fullest assistance” to all concerned. “Deeply shocked by the news of the fire incident in Kuwait city. There are reportedly over 40 deaths and over 50 have been hospitalized. Our Ambassador has gone to the camp. We are awaiting further information,” he said on X.

“Deepest condolences to the families of those who tragically lost their lives. Wish early and full recovery to those who have been injured,” he said.

In a separate post, Jaishankar said he spoke to his Kuwaiti counterpart Ali Al-Yahya and was apprised of the efforts made by the Kuwaiti authorities. He said he was assured that the incident would be fully investigated and that responsibility would be fixed.

Jaishankar urged early repatriation of the mortal remains of those who lost their lives.

Indian Ambassador to Kuwait Adarsh Swaika visited Al-Adan hospital where over 30 Indian workers injured in the fire have been admitted.

The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber al-Sabah on Wednesday ordered authorities to probe the fire and vowed to hold accountable those responsible for the tragedy.

Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah condoled the deaths and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

Known for the world’s sixth-largest oil reserves, Kuwait, whose population is about 42 lakh, has a large community of migrant workers who far outnumber the local population.

The Indian community with a strength of about 10 lakh is the largest expatriate community in Kuwait. Professionals like engineers, doctors, chartered accountants, scientists, software experts, management consultants, architects; technicians and nurses; retail traders and businessmen are present in Kuwait, though a large proportion consists of unskilled and semi-skilled workers, according to the Indian embassy in Kuwait.

According to Kuwait’s media reports, the fire incident is one of the worst seen in the country. In 2009, 57 people died when a Kuwaiti woman, apparently seeking revenge, set fire to a tent at a wedding party when her husband married a second wife.