KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sharida Al-Maousherji vowed that those responsible for the collapse of a building in Jabriya would be held accountable. “We are waiting for the final report about the incident,” he told reporters on Wednesday evening. He expressed appreciation over efforts made by different ministries and competent bodies, which dealt seriously with the incident despite the difficult conditions and hot weather. Maousherji added that a team worked on removing the rubble to make sure that there were no victims or injuries.

Meanwhile, the ministry of interior said its team, along with Kuwait Fire Force (KFF), dealt with the collapse. The incident took place due to negligence from the contractor responsible for the demolition, the ministry’s security media and public relations department said in a statement. It added that the contractor fled the site after the incident. Concerned bodies are searching for those responsible for the collapse to refer them to competent bodies and take legal actions against them, it added.

Acting Chief of KFF Maj Gen Khaled Abdullah told KUNA in a statement that a force rushed to the site of the collapse as soon as they received a report about it. The force finished a 3-hour search operation and there were no injuries, he added. Earlier in the day, the KFF had announced that a six-storey building collapsed in Jabriya while being demolished. — KUNA