The death of 41 Indian workers in a major fire in Kuwait has put a spotlight on the harsh living and working conditions of labourers migrating to Gulf countries in search of work even as the Narendra Modi government faces allegations of neglecting their health and safety...

Indian migrant workers in the Gulf countries have long complained of hazardous, sometimes deadly, working conditions, long hours, unpaid wages, and cramped and unsanitary housing, said Human Rights Watch.

This was made evident by Wednesday’s tragedy as more than 200 workers were found to have been living in one six-storey building...

Apartments of the workers were separated by a highly inflammable material which quickly caught fire and spewed black clouds of smoke, Col Sayed Al-Mousawi, chief of investigations for Kuwait’s fire department, said.

Many of the victims suffocated to death while trying to run down the stairs, he said. They could not go out on the rooftop as the door was locked...