A devastating fire ripped through a labor housing facility in Mangaf, Kuwait early Wednesday, claiming at least 35 lives including 4 Indian nationals. The deadly inferno broke out around 4:30am local time in the kitchen area of the building owned by Kuwaiti businessman KG Abraham’s NBTC group.
EAM Minister S.Jaishakar Tweeted
The site housed around 195 laborers, many of them from India’s Kerala state as well as Tamil Nadu and north India according to local reports. An unknown number of victims jumped to their deaths trying to escape the flames, while others perished from burns and smoke inhalation.
Kuwaiti authorities have not released official details on the casualties, but local media reported the Indian death toll of at least 4, with potentially more nationals among the 35 confirmed fatalities so far. Several critically injured have been hospitalized.
The massive fire represents a tragic worker housing disaster for the Persian Gulf nation heavily reliant on expatriate labor. It also poses significant financial risks for the NBTC group, an Indian-owned Kuwaiti firm, which could face liability costs, reputation damage, and disruptions to its commercial operations in the area served by the now-devastated labor camp.
As Kuwait and its businesses confront the human and economic toll of this deadly blaze, the incident underscores the urgency of addressing worker safety standards and housing conditions for the nation’s vast migrant labor population. More details await from Kuwaiti officials investigating the catastrophic fire.