'Horrific' tent fire claims 41 in Kuwait
Source: Agencies |
August 17, 2009, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE fire at a wedding tent in Kuwait that killed 41 women and children consumed the structure in a blazing inferno lasting just three minutes, the fire department chief said yesterday.
"It was a horrific scene with bodies and many shoes stuck to the ground at the only exit, they must have trampled over one another," said Brigadier General Jassem al-Mansouri, the day after the disaster.
He said Kuwaiti authorities were running DNA tests to identify the 35 women and six children killed in the fire, which left many victims unrecognizable.
Authorities were investigating the cause and al-Mansouri said it could have been faulty electrical wiring, a problem with the equipment used to keep the wedding food buffet warm or the coals used for burning incense.
He added that the fire in al-Jahra, a tribal area west of the capital, was the worst he has seen in his almost four decades of service in this small oil-rich state.
Photographs of the scene show the tent was erected in an urban area.
The interior was strewn with blackened debris, including the metal frames of chairs and tables, and burnt out air conditioners, a necessity in this hot country where night temperatures in the summer are often above 40 degrees Celsius.
It was not clear if the bride survived or how many were in the tent when it caught fire. Al-Mansouri said the structure was 12 meters long and could have housed up to 180 people.
Wedding parties are held separately for women and men, with children attending the women's event. The parties usually feature a catered buffet dinner as well as singing and dancing to Kuwaiti and Arabic music.
No alcohol is served in conservative Kuwait.
Al-Mansouri said the 58 injured were still in hospitals, seven in serious condition with severe burns.
The chief said that Saturday's event was not licensed.
"It was a horrific scene with bodies and many shoes stuck to the ground at the only exit, they must have trampled over one another," said Brigadier General Jassem al-Mansouri, the day after the disaster.
He said Kuwaiti authorities were running DNA tests to identify the 35 women and six children killed in the fire, which left many victims unrecognizable.
Authorities were investigating the cause and al-Mansouri said it could have been faulty electrical wiring, a problem with the equipment used to keep the wedding food buffet warm or the coals used for burning incense.
He added that the fire in al-Jahra, a tribal area west of the capital, was the worst he has seen in his almost four decades of service in this small oil-rich state.
Photographs of the scene show the tent was erected in an urban area.
The interior was strewn with blackened debris, including the metal frames of chairs and tables, and burnt out air conditioners, a necessity in this hot country where night temperatures in the summer are often above 40 degrees Celsius.
It was not clear if the bride survived or how many were in the tent when it caught fire. Al-Mansouri said the structure was 12 meters long and could have housed up to 180 people.
Wedding parties are held separately for women and men, with children attending the women's event. The parties usually feature a catered buffet dinner as well as singing and dancing to Kuwaiti and Arabic music.
No alcohol is served in conservative Kuwait.
Al-Mansouri said the 58 injured were still in hospitals, seven in serious condition with severe burns.
The chief said that Saturday's event was not licensed.
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