According to the interior ministry, a fire at a residential structure in the Kuwaiti city of Mangaf has claimed the lives of at least 35 individuals.
Social media users posted a video of the building that showed thick black smoke rising from the higher stories and flames consuming the lower portion of the structure.
According to officials, at least 15 more people were hurt and sent to the hospital. It is reported that several of the dead were residents who were employed abroad.
Rescue operations were ongoing, according to a spokesman for the interior ministry, who claimed the fire was now under control.
According to Maj-Gen Eid al-Oweihan, who spoke to state TV, the fire was detected on Wednesday at 06:00 local time (03:00 GMT).
As he visited the location, Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf al-Sabah allegedly accused property owners of infractions and “greed,” according to the Reuters news agency.
According to accounts in the local media, there might have been too many people in the building. There were “a large number” of individuals in the building at the time of the incident, a senior police officer said to state TV.
“Dozens were rescued, but unfortunately there were many deaths as a result of inhaling smoke from the fire,” He continued, mentioning that there were frequently alerts concerning crowding in these kinds of accommodations.
The nature of the employment and the countries of origin of the personnel have not yet been disclosed.
