3 Asian workers die in house fire in Bahrain

Three Asian workers died of smoke inhalation on Friday after a fire broke out in their accommodation in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, local authority said. The police removed three bodies from a two-storey building in Makharqa area where another Asian worker sustained minor burns. "The fire was caused by safety negligence, in which the first floor of the building was gutted," the Interior Ministry said in a statement, adding that an investigation has been launched. Also in Makharqa, 13 Bangladeshis were killed when a fire swept through their labor accommodation in January last year. Another blaze in east Riffa last year killed 10 workers. Rights activists have repeatedly questioned the poor housing quality of workers. That prompted the authorities to take several measures such as reconstructing labor camps with proper safety features.