Kuwait: At least 49 dead in fire in residential building for immigrants

The Kuwaiti Ministry of the Interior reported that at least 49 people died due to the fire in a building that housed almost 200 workers, many of them foreigners.

"The death toll as a result of the fire in the workers' building in the Mangaf area has risen to 49," the Ministry said in statements reported by AFP.

In addition, General Eid al Owaihan, director of the Scientific Police in the Kuwaiti Ministry of the Interior, indicated that only three of the deceased were identified.

The victims died of asphyxiation from the smoke. The reasons for the fire are unknown at the moment, according to the Civil Protection service. Likewise, it was learned that the owner of the building was arrested as part of an investigation for possible negligence.

The minister told reporters that he intended to ask local authorities in the capital to evacuate all buildings in the suburbs that do not respect safety standards.

"We will take care of the problem in areas overcrowded with foreign workers and negligence if it arises," said Interior Minister Sheikh Fahd al Yusef.