On 12 June, a fire in a worker accommodation in Kuwait housing mostly Indian workers has reportedly killed at least 49 people (including 45 Indian workers and 3 Filipino workers) and injured over 50 more. The accommodation housed 196 workers; witnesses have said workers jumped from high floors to escape while the fire department found bodies and injured people in the building's stairwells, suggesting the building was overcrowded and lacked proper fire safety measures.

The Director of the Fire Accident Investigation Department of Kuwait identified several features of the building as leading to the high number of deaths including closed facades, partitions between rooms made out of highly flammable materials and the closure of the building's roof. By 13 June, the General Fire Force reportedly disclosed that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit.

The workers are employed by NBTC, one of the largest civil construction contractors in Kuwait, which also owns the building; the Interior Minister has reportedly blamed "the greed of the company and building owners". The Kuwaiti Interior Minister has ordered the detention of a company official and a building guard while investigations are ongoing. The bodies of the Indian workers have been repatriated.

The founder of NBTC has publicly apologised for the incident, and has denied there was overcrowding at the facilities. The company has also offered compensation of around USD9,500 (Rs. 8 lakh) to the families of the deceased, alongside insurance coverage and jobs to dependents 'as per their qualifications'. The government has said it will provide USD15,000 to families impacted.

The incident is being critiqued as symptomatic of a broader issue across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries regarding migrant workers being housed in overcrowded buildings where accommodation fails to meet fire safety regulations, is unhygienic and unsuitable for habitation. Migrant-Rights.org emphasises that the Kafala sponsorship of employment together with the social exclusion migrants face in Kuwait disempower workers who are discouraged from raising complaints or advocating for better living conditions. Critics are calling for greater accountability for real estate developers and contractors.