KUWAIT CITY, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A fire broke out Wednesday morning in the Mangaf area in southern Kuwait, resulting in at least 41 fatalities and dozens of injuries, according to the First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Al-Sabah.
"41 people have died so far," he said in a statement broadcasted by Kuwait TV, attributing the tragedy to the "greed and avarice of company and building owners."
The minister also ordered the detention of individuals involved, including the building owner, until the forensic evidence team completes its investigation.
Mohammed Al-Gharib, director of public relations at the General Fire Force, said in a statement that the fire broke out in a six-story residential building densely populated with labor workers.
The majority of fatalities were attributed to smoke inhalation during sleep, while many of the residents were evacuated from the building, added Al-Gharib.
"We responded to the scene, and the fire brigade managed to control the blaze," Eid Al-Owaihan, director of the Interior Ministry's criminal division, was quoted as saying by Kuwait TV, adding that "the forensic evidence team had begun their examination of the site."
Al-Owaihan said that some of the injured individuals were transferred to various hospitals, and efforts to identify the victims were still underway.
Local newspaper, citing anonymous sources, reported that the fire started in the guard's room, spread to a lounge on the first floor, followed by a storage area containing gas cylinders, and eventually engulfed the rest of the building.
According to the sources, around 160 workers were inside the building, with many of the fatalities being of Indian nationality. ■
