Scores die in Kuwait wedding fire

Scores die in Kuwait wedding fire

At least 41 people, all women and children, have died after a fire broke out in a tent being used at a wedding in Kuwait City.

At least 50 other people are believed to have been injured in Saturday's incident in Jahra, west of the Kuwaiti capital, Saad al-Enezi, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Kuwait, said.
"Many of them are in a very, very serious condition," al-Enezi said.
"The rescue operation has finished now - everyone is either in hospital or the morgue."
Stampede
It is thought that the death toll will rise due to a stampede as relatives and onlookers flooded the scene during the fire, which took less than two minutes to engulf the tent.
Al-Enezi said that candles may have ignited the tent, leading to the country's biggest such disaster in 40 years.
The authorities said they were investigating the cause of the blaze.
"The tent, in an enclosed surrounding, did not have any emergency exit and it was made from a very flammable material - cotton," al-Enezi said.
Fire officials told Al Jazeera that the tent had probably not been constructed to correct safety standards.
In Kuwait, wedding celebrations are held separately for men and women, with children attending the women's party.
PHOTO CAPTION
Map of Kuwait
Al-Jazeera

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