DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) 鈥� At least 41 people died when a fire swept through a building that housed workers in Kuwait early Wednesday, and officials said the blaze appeared to be linked to code violations.
Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousuf Al-Sabah confirmed the toll and ordered the arrest of the building鈥檚 owner during a visit to the site, local media reported.
鈥淲e will address the issue of labor overcrowding,鈥� he said. "I鈥檓 now going to see what violations were committed here and I will deal with the owner of the property.鈥�
Local media said scores of workers were living in the building in the southern Mangaf district, without giving their nationality.
Col. Sayed Hassan al-Mousawi, head of the firefighters' Accident Investigation Department, said there were dozens of casualties and that the final death toll may be higher.
Kuwait, like other Persian Gulf countries, has a large community of migrant workers the local population. The nation of some 4.2 million people is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of New Jersey but has the world鈥檚 sixth-largest known oil reserves.
A fire at an oil refinery in 2022 .
The Associated Press
