The Cabinet, chaired by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Monday expressed condolences to Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, the Kuwaiti people and the families of the 43 women and children who died in the wedding tent inferno in Kuwait City, Saturday evening. The Cabinet prayed for the deceased and for the speedy recovery of the injured. Nine Saudis died in the blaze in Al-Jahra, west of Kuwait City, and the count could rise as more bodies are identified, Saudi Chargé d'Affaires in Kuwait, Fahd Al-Safyan, told Saudi Gazette Monday. Al-Safyan said the embassy was working with Kuwaiti authorities in the process of identifying the victims and informing their families. The Saudi victims are most likely all residents of Kuwait, he said “We are still waiting for the Kuwaiti authorities to complete the DNA tests and provide us with the names of the victims,” Al-Safyan said. Preliminary reports showed that among the Saudi victims, identified only by their initials, were a woman in her 60s and her daughters aged 11 and 12. Two other victims were in their late 30s. Some 150 to 180 women and children were in the wedding tent that was reduced to ashes within minutes. Many of the bodies were charred beyond recognition and disfigured by a stampede that choked up the tent's only exit.
