61 Dead, Many Missing After Horrific Fire in Kut, Iraq

At least 61 people have been killed and many more are missing after a devastating fire at a hypermarket in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut, Iraq's Interior Ministry announced.

On Thursday, the ministry stated that 14 charred bodies were recovered from the five-story shopping mall fire in Wasit province, and civil defense teams rescued 45 people from the building.

Earlier, a city health official had stated: "We have compiled a list of 59 identified victims, but one body was so severely burned that it was extremely difficult to identify."

Videos circulated on social media showed the five-story building in Kut engulfed in flames at night, with firefighters attempting to extinguish the blaze.

The shopping mall, which had opened just a week prior, also housed a restaurant and a supermarket. The state news agency, Iraqi News Agency (INA), reported that many people are still missing.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani stated in a press release that he has instructed the Interior Minister to visit the scene, investigate, and take measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

Wasit Governor Mohammed al-Mayahi said that the fire had broken out in both the hypermarket and a restaurant. Families were having dinner and shopping at the time, he added. The governor also mentioned that firefighters rescued several people and successfully extinguished the fire.

Three days of mourning have been declared, and an investigation has been launched. The results of the investigation are expected to be released within 48 hours.

The governor stated, "A tragedy and disaster has befallen us."

INA quoted the governor as saying, "We have filed a lawsuit against the owner of the building and the mall."

Poor construction standards in Iraq have frequently led to tragic fires. In July 2021, a fire at a hospital in Nasiriyah killed more than 60 people, caused by highly flammable, low-quality "sandwich panel" cladding, which is illegal in Iraq.

In 2023, over 100 people died in a fire at a wedding hall in Hamdaniya, a predominantly Christian area in Nineveh province, when ceiling panels caught fire above a pyrotechnic machine.