Forty Indians among 50 dead in Kuwait block fire
Video shared on social media showed flames engulfing the lower part of the building and thick black smoke billowing from the upper floors.
At least 40 Indians are among 50 people killed in a fire at a residential building in the Kuwaiti city of Mangaf, India's foreign ministry has said.
The fire broke out on Wednesday in a building where dozens of workers stayed.
Video shared on social media showed flames engulfing the lower part of the building and thick black smoke billowing from the upper floors.
Most of the casualties are from the southern Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Around 50 Indians have also been injured.
Three Filipinos have also been killed, AFP quoted Philippines officials as saying. Filipino and Nepali workers are also among the injured.
Two-thirds of the Kuwaiti population is made up of foreign workers and the country is highly dependent on migrant labour, especially in the construction and domestic sectors.
Human rights groups have regularly raised concerns over their living conditions.
Local media reports said the building housed 196 workers and there are suggestions that it may have been overcrowded.
A senior police officer told state TV that there were a "large number" of people in the building at the time of the fire.
"Dozens were rescued, but unfortunately there were many deaths as a result of inhaling smoke from the fire," he said, adding that warnings were often issued about overcrowding in this type of accommodation.
Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf al-Sabah accused property owners of greed and said violations of building standards had led to the tragedy.