KUWAIT CITY // The ministry of interior has arrested one person in connection with the fire that killed at least 46 women and children and injured around 70 others at a wedding tent on the outskirts of Kuwait on Saturday night. The groom's ex-wife has been linked to the case.
Kuwaiti security has picked up the alleged perpetrator of the wedding tent fire in Jahra, the state news agency KUNA said yesterday, citing a statement from the ministry of interior. The minister of the interior, Sheikh Jaber Khalid al Sabah, vowed at the cabinet's weekly meeting in Seif Palace that the criminal will be brought to justice.
While the identity of the alleged perpetrator was not revealed in the statement, suspicion has fallen on the former wife of the groom. A source at the ministry of information said the woman was being questioned by the criminal investigation department.
Speaking yesterday morning, the source said the woman had not yet confessed to the crime. "She said she went by taxi to buy gasoline, and was planning to light a fire, but said she didn't go through with her plan."
Mohammad al Saber, the ministry of the interior's spokesman, told the state-owned Kuwait Television that the fire in Jahra had been started for "personal reasons". He also did not give any details about the perpetrator.
The local press reported yesterday that the former wife had already confessed to lighting the fire that engulfed the tent in minutes, causing a stampede for the door that led to many people being trampled near the exit.
The woman, who is 23-years-old, started the blaze as revenge for her "bad treatment" before the divorce, Al Qabas newspaper reported. The bride escaped uninjured but her mother and sister were killed, the English-language daily, the Kuwait Times, said.
Abdullah al Zafeeri, who lives next door to the house where the tent was pitched, said his Sri Lankan maid witnessed the ex-wife setting fire to the tent with gasoline, and has since been under questioning by the police. Mr al Zafeeri was speaking at Al Babtain Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery, where he was visiting his sister who was injured badly in the tragedy.
Another man who was visiting his wife at the centre, Faris al Zafeeri, said his wife told him she had smelt petrol before the inferno.
Mr al Zafeeri's wife has suffered 10 per cent burns to her back, elbow and shoulder, but she is one of the luckier ones - she is expected to make a full recovery.
The location of the tent has been criticised by officials because the close proximity of buildings hampered the rescue operation.
Jahra is not known for the luxurious and spacious mansions found in other parts of Kuwait.
Its brick and corrugated iron buildings house many of the country's settled Bedouin nomads and stateless locals.
By the time the fire brigade arrived, the tent had collapsed leaving a pile of charred bodies near the exit, witnesses at the scene said.
The government is using DNA to identify the remains of corpses that have been burnt beyond recognition.
"I saw women and children who were so badly burnt that they had lost fingers and arms," one witness, Bader al Shamari, said.
"Dead bodies were piled on top of each other.
"We really need better safety regulations for this sort of thing."
A member of parliament, Salwa al Jassar, who visited Al Babtain centre yesterday, said: "I was at Jahra hospital yesterday.
"We are so sad about what happened - it's a disaster.
"We've never had anything like this before.
"But there is very high quality medical assistance in Kuwait, we have very good services."
Critically injured women, bandaged from head to toe, were brought to the centre from other hospitals yesterday.
The intensive care unit's 10 beds have been utilised at full capacity since the disaster, space became available when five women lost their lives during the night.
Al Babtain is the only specialist centre for burns and reconstruction in Kuwait.
Dr Ahmad al Fadhli, the head of the burns and reconstruction department, has conducted around one-third of the 15 operations at the centre since yesterday.
"We have patients who have 120 per cent burns," he said.
"They are burnt 100 per cent plus they have burns from inhalation, it adds up to 120 per cent.
"Yesterday we had 24 admissions, and five died.
"There were 19 this morning and five new cases have arrived. At the end of the day, I'll probably have more."
Dr al Fadhli estimated that 50 women and children have now died.
The emir, Sheikh Sabah al Ahmad al Sabah, expressed his condolences at a special meeting of the cabinet on Sunday.
The cabinet set up an emergency committee including the ministers of interior and health, the municipality and the fire department to look at the tragedy and find ways to ensure it is not repeated.
jcalderwood@thenational.ae
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
Four stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The years Ramadan fell in May
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20new%20Turing%20Test
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How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
Command%20Z
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MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Poacher
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THE%20HOLDOVERS
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
