Five dead in Kuwait apartment block fire: Official

A fire in a residential building southwest of Kuwait City killed five people, the Gulf state's fire brigade said on Sunday.

The blaze broke out in two apartments in the Rigga area, about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the capital, said spokesman Brigadier General Mohammed Al Gharib.

Three bodies were found at the scene and two more people died from their injuries in hospital, he told AFP.

Several others were injured, and Gharib warned the death toll could rise due to the severity of some of the burns.

According to Arab Times, the incident happened in the early morning, prompting desperate scenes as panicked residents leapt from upper floors to escape the flames.

Several suffered burns of varying severity, with some treated on-site and others transported to nearby hospitals.

The authorities have since recovered charred bodies from the building. It is reported that two apartments were completely gutted in the fire.

The General Fire Force confirmed that emergency response units from Shuwaikh Industrial and Ardiya stations, along with specialised search and rescue teams, were dispatched swiftly and managed to bring the blaze under control.

The fire department highlighted striking similarities between this incident and the deadly Mangaf fire, which had claimed 49 lives and previously sent shockwaves through Kuwait and its expatriate community.