Footage shows several individuals standing on a balcony waiting to be rescued as smoke billowed out of the allegedly overcrowded six-storey building in Mangaf City in the Ahmadi Governorate early morning on June 12.

The inferno is believed to have started while tenants were cooking breakfast after coming back from work.

A senior police commander told state media: “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. We are always alert and warn against packing too many workers into housing units.”

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Authorities said at least 49 people were killed, many of whom were Indian nationals who died of suffocation. Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Filipinos, and Nepalis were also among the casualties, the BBC citing a local rescuer said.

Kuwait Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah has accused the landlords of violating property regulations, as local media reported that 196 labourers had been staying at the apartment.

He said: “Unfortunately, the greed of real estate owners is what leads to these matters. They violate regulations and this is the result of the violations.”

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Indian Embassy in Kuwait was monitoring the situation and working with Kuwaiti authorities to assist those affected.

He wrote on social media platform X: “The fire mishap in Kuwait City is saddening. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest.”