KUWAIT: Paramedics assist an injured man after a deadly fire killed 10 Asian residents in Farwaniya yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayaat

KUWAIT: Ten Asian workers were killed and 12 others injured in a fire yesterday at an old building used to house expat laborers in Farwaniya, the Health Ministry said. The ministry, quoted by state news agency KUNA, said all the victims were Indians and Pakistanis.

At least five of the injured were in critical condition. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. A medical emergency preliminary report said 10 deaths were reported, while 12 were rushed to hospital. Three of the victims died of cardiac arrest.

Health Ministry Assistant Undersecretary for Allied Health Services Dr Jamal Al-Harby said that six people died inside the building, all charred, while three died while on their way to the hospital. In a statement to KUNA, Acting Director of KFSD Maj Gen Khalid Al-Mekrad said that four fire departments were mobilized immediately to battle the blaze, adding that among the injured were firefighters as well.

Al-Mekrad noted that the prefabricated buildings lack basic security and safety precautions and have some major violations. Last week, a blaze at the Gulf state’s central jail killed one inmate and wounded 56 other people, including a fireman. Expatriate workers, mostly from the Indian subcontinent, make up around 70 percent of oilrich Kuwait’s 4.3-million population.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun