(16 Aug 2009) SHOTLIST :
1. Wide of site of blaze, blackened debris on street
2. Various of officials at scene
3. Officials at scene with burnt metal in foreground
4. Various of objects on ground
5. Various of burnt oranges amidst debris at scene
6. Burnt pots and cooking equipment
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Police Official, Name not known:
"It is actually a tragic incident, which claimed the lives of 41 women and children."
8. Various close-ups of burnt fabric and objects on ground
9. Vehicles at scene
STORYLINE :
The fire at a wedding tent in Kuwait that killed 41 women and children consumed the structure in a blazing inferno lasting just three minutes, the fire department chief said on Sunday.
Kuwaiti authorities were running DNA tests to identify the 35 women and six children killed in the fire, which left many victims unrecognisable, the fire chief said.
A police official at the scene confirmed 41 women and children had died in the blaze and called the fire "a tragic incident".
Fifty eight people injured in the blaze were still in hospital, seven in a serious condition with severe burns, an official said.
Authorities investigating the cause of the blaze said it could have been from faulty electrical wiring, a problem with the equipment used to keep the wedding food buffet warm or the coals used for burning incense.
Footage from the scene showed the area strewn with blackened debris, including the metal frames of chairs and tables, charred food and fabric.
Wedding parties are held separately for women and men, with children attending the women's event.
The parties usually feature a catered buffet dinner as well as singing and dancing to Kuwaiti and Arabic music.
The Interior Ministry called on Kuwaitis to stop erecting tents in the middle of crowded neighbourhoods and there has been talk of banning them altogether.
The government had opened a hot line and an information centre for relatives of the victims, Kuwaiti state television said.
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