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Dozens die in Kuwait wedding fire Dozens die in Kuwait wedding fire
(about 3 hours later)
Kuwait's interior ministry says 41 people died when a fire broke out in a tent being used by women and children at a wedding near Kuwait City. Forty-one women and children have died after a fire broke out in a tent at a wedding near Kuwait City.
The fire began late on Saturday evening while the guests were celebrating the marriage at a party in the al-Jahra area, west of the capital. Guests were trampled in the stampede towards the only exit, as the tent was razed in just three minutes, a fire department chief told AP news agency.
Up to 60 women and children were also injured, many in a stampede that followed the blaze, officials said. Six of the dead were children. Up to 60 women and children were also injured in the tragedy on Saturday evening in the al-Jahra area, west of the capital.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. An investigation has begun. The cause of the blaze is unknown. It is not clear if the bride escaped.
'Packed with people' It was a horrific scene with bodies and shoes stuck to the ground at the only exit Jassem al-MansouriFire chief
Four teams of fire-fighters were dispatched to the scene, as well as a large number of ambulances needed to take the injured to hospital. Four teams of fire-fighters were dispatched to the scene, about 50km (30 miles) west of the capital, as well as a large number of ambulances.
Dozens of injured people were taken to local hospitals
Officials said the authorities had had difficulty evacuating the injured because of the large numbers of anxious relatives at the scene.Officials said the authorities had had difficulty evacuating the injured because of the large numbers of anxious relatives at the scene.
In an interview with BBC Arabic, a Kuwaiti interior ministry spokesman said 36 people had died. The country's ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, extended his condolences to the families of the victims.
Kuwait's state news agency Kuna had earlier quoted the director-general of the country's Fire General Directorate, Maj-Gen Jassem al-Mansouri, as saying that 41 bodies had been recovered from the tent. Fire department chief Brig Gen Jassem al-Mansouri told AP news agency the authorities would have to carry out DNA tests to identify the victims.
Wedding celebrations in the conservative Gulf state are held separately for men and women. "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," he said.
Children attend the women's party. Interior ministry spokesman Col Mohammed al-Saber confirmed to Reuters news agency that the tent, which could seat more than 200 people, had only one exit.
Investigators are trying to establish what sparked the blaze, with faulty electrical wiring, or coals used for burning incense, among possible causes, according to reports.
Wedding celebrations in the conservative Gulf state are held separately for men and women. Children attend the women's party.
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