KUWAIT CITY: A Kuwaiti wedding tent, where 41 women and children died in a fire on Saturday, had only one exit, an official said, causing a stampede that compounded the death toll.
“Since the first spark of the fire, the attendees rushed to the tent’s exit and we found the bodies at the exit, it was a very painful scene,” Col. Mohammed Al-Saber, Interior Ministry spokesman, told Reuters on Sunday.
“The tent, which had 13 pillars and could seat more than 200 people, unfortunately had only one exit,” he said.
Kuwait banned wedding tents on Sunday after the blaze tore through the women’s tent at the wedding in the Al-Jahra district, west of Kuwait city. More than 70 people were injured in the blaze. Kuwait state news agency KUNA said that 41 bodies had been recovered from the smoldering remains of the tent.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah sent a cable to Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah condoling the deaths and destruction caused by the fire in the city of Al-Jahra. In his message the king prayed for the quick recovery of the injured. Crown Prince Sultan also sent a similar cable to the Kuwaiti emir.
“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 Brig. Gen. Jassem Al-Mansouri, the fire department chief. He said authorities were running DNA tests to identify the 35 women and six children killed in the fire, which left many victims unrecognizable. He said 58 injured were still in hospitals, seven in serious condition with severe burns. Al-Mansouri said the fire could have been caused through faulty electrical wiring, a problem with the equipment used to keep the wedding food buffet warm or the coals used for burning incense.
It was not clear if the bride survived or how many were in the tent when it caught fire.
The government has opened a hot line and an information center for relatives of the victims, Kuwaiti state television said.
Ruler Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah extended condolences to the families of the victims. He also announced that in sympathy with the victims and their families he would not be receiving well-wishers as he traditionally does ahead of Ramadan which starts this week.
