Building Fire In Kuwait Kills 49 People, Most Victims Of Indian Citizens

ILLUSTRATION OF UNSPLASH/Robert Darkness

JAKARTA - It was reported that 49 people died in Kuwait in a building fire that houses foreign workers. Most of the victims are said to have come from India.

The citizenship of the victims who died has not been disclosed by local authorities. Meanwhile, the Indian Ambassador visited the hospital where workers were being treated for injuries sustained in the fire.

In one hospital, more than 30 Indian citizens were treated, the embassy wrote on social media. There are 47 workers who have received treatment at the hospital.

Several Indian citizens, including from Kerala state in the southern part, were reported killed in the fire, according to a letter written by Kerala's Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, to the Indian Foreign Minister which was distributed to the press.

Government agencies for the Kerala community living outside the state said India's Kuwaiti community had been told 41 Indians, including 11 people from Kerala, were killed in the fire.

While visiting the location, Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah said "The blessings of real estate owners are the cause of this problem". It is not clear whether there was a violation that occurred in the building or what caused it.

Low-paid workers in Gulf countries often live in overcrowded accommodation. Local authorities did not disclose what kind of work these workers were doing, although as in other Gulf countries, Kuwait relies heavily on foreign workers in industries such as construction, including from South and Southeast Asia.