Fire in Kuwaiti building housing workers kills 41

A fire that broke out in a building housing workers in the city of Mangaf in southern Kuwait early on Wednesday has killed at least 41 people, the country's deputy prime minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah said during a visit to the site, reports Reuters.

The deputy PM accused real estate owners of violations and greed, saying those factors contributed towards the incident.

"Unfortunately, the greed of real estate owners is what leads to these matters," said Sheikh Fahad, who also runs the interior and defence ministries.

The fire was reported to authorities at 6:00am local time (0300 GMT), Major General Eid Rashed Hamad said.

"The building in which the fire occurred was used to house workers, and there was a large number of workers there. Dozens were rescued, but unfortunately there were many deaths as a result of inhaling smoke from the fire," another senior police commander told state TV.