Fire department head General Jassem Al-Mansouri said six of the victims were children and authorities had difficulty in identifying some of the charred bodies. He said the fire killed 41 women and children in just three minutes, leaving behind melted shoes and bodies so blackened they were unrecognisable.

Guests likely crushed one another in a desperate attempt to flee through the only exit, he said, adding that there were between 150 and 180 women and children inside the wedding venue.

The devastating fire was likely to result in restrictions on the tradition of holding celebrations in such tents, a custom which is rooted in Kuwait's nomadic heritage and endures in tribal areas of the country.

'It was a horrific scene with bodies and many shoes stuck to the ground at the only exit. They must have trampled over one another,' Mansouri said.

Some observers described the fire as the worst tragedy in Kuwait's modern history. Director of Jahra hospital Abdulaziz Al-Farhoud said that 90 people have been wounded in the blaze, some in critical condition with severe burns.

He said 21 of the wounded women were sent to Babtain Burns Centre for advanced treatment. A number of the wounded are still in intensive care units at several hospitals, Farhoud said.

Kuwaitis hold separate wedding parties for men and women. Men gather for dinner, while women and children sing and dance. In the absence of men, women shed their head scarves and wear revealing evening gowns.

At the end of the celebration, the groom comes to the women's party to collect his bride. Women are given a warning and they cover up in their black head-to-toe 'abayas' before he enters. No alcohol is served, as it is forbidden in Islam.