Kuwait: A fire broke out early Wednesday morning in a six-storey building in Mangaf, south of Kuwait City, claiming 50 lives and injuring more than 50 people. Kuwait’s Foreign Minister, Abdullah Al Yahya, confirmed that the majority of the victims were Indian nationals, with most hailing from Kerala.

The blaze, one of the worst in Kuwait’s recent history, also took the lives of three Filipinos, with two more critically injured, according to officials from the Philippines. The Department of Migrant Workers in Manila reported that the fatalities were due to smoke inhalation, while six other Filipinos managed to escape unharmed.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and assured that the government is doing everything possible to assist the affected families. The Prime Minister’s office announced financial aid of 200,000 rupees ($2,400) for the next of kin of the deceased. Kirti Vardhan Singh, India’s junior foreign minister, is in Kuwait to aid survivors and oversee the repatriation of remains, which will involve DNA testing due to the severe charring of some bodies.

Kuwaiti authorities have detained the building owner on suspicion of negligence, emphasizing that buildings failing to meet safety regulations will face closure. The fire has highlighted the precarious living conditions of many expatriates in Kuwait, a country with a large population of foreign workers from South and Southeast Asia, primarily employed in construction and service sectors.

This incident follows a 2009 tragedy in Kuwait, where 57 people perished in a wedding tent fire.