A fire started through a building housing workers in Kuwait early Wednesday, killing at least 41 people, according to officials. The blaze was allegedly caused by code violations.
The fire had been brought under control, according to authorities, and the cause was being investigated.
“The building in which the fire occurred was used to house workers, and there was a large number of workers there. Dozens were rescued, but unfortunately there were many deaths as a result of inhaling smoke from the fire,” a senior police commander told state television.
"We always alert and warn against" crowding too many workers into living accommodations, he said, without providing information about the workers' occupation or area of origin.
During a visit to the site, Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousuf Al-Sabah confirmed the death toll and ordered the building's owner's arrest, according to local media.
Reports show a large number of workers were living in the block in the southern Mangaf district without providing their nationalities.
"Unfortunately, the greed of real estate owners is what leads to these matters," said Sheikh Fahad, who also controls the interior and defence ministries.
Kuwait, like other Persian Gulf countries, has a sizable community of migrant workers who outnumber the local population. The country of 4.2 million inhabitants is little smaller than the U.S. state of New Jersey, but it boasts the world's sixth-largest known oil reserves.
Earlier in 2022, a fire at an oil refinery claimed the lives of four persons.
Kuwait: Fire in a building housing workers makes at least 41 dead
