First wife had set Kuwait tent on fire

Sources said the suspect was arrested after some maids claimed that they witnessed the woman setting the tent (wedding venue) on fire with the help of kerosene-soaked rags on Saturday, the Kuwait Times reported on its website.

The bride escaped unhurt, but her mother and sister were killed, the sources added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Sunday said that he would not accept greetings on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan in solidarity with the victims of the Jahra blaze, some 25 km west of Kuwait City.

He also expressed sympathy with the victims’ families and ordered that all possible help should be given to them.

The prime minister later chaired an extraordinary meeting of the cabinet to discuss the fire incident.

Inquiry committee

The cabinet formed an inquiry committee headed by State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan to evaluate the incident, rescue operations and regulations needed to prevent such incidents from recurring. The interior ministry had earlier called on citizens not to erect tents in residential areas because that will obstruct rescue operations in case of emergencies. The ministry also set up a hotline for relatives of victims to make enquiries. The ministry also asked the families of victims to identify the bodies of their dear ones at the forensics department.

Parliamentarians, meanwhile, demanded an investigation into what they called government failure to respond quickly with some charging that the fatal incident showed the government has no clear contingency plans.